


Little Hawk

by shaneequa



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Baby! Hawk, CATWS spoliers, F/M, Finally finished!, Gen, Past Clint Barton/Bobbi Morse, Proposals, Slight Pepperony, Team! Fic, The Avengers being all cute with little kids, but totally AU ish, cuteness, fluffy stuff, so much fluff you'd probably get cavities, some angst but mostly fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-16
Updated: 2014-06-08
Packaged: 2017-11-25 16:51:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 29,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/641047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shaneequa/pseuds/shaneequa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint Barton has been hiding a secret from the Avengers. But when his secret is let loose in the Tower...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel. The characters, cities or whatever else that is copyrighted and trademark that appears on any of my fanfiction. I'm only a poor college student who spent all her money on books.
> 
> Author's Note: I've posted the first six chapters of this on ff. net and just wanted to archive it here, also see what you guys think because it's my first try at anything "fluffy."

It was five in the morning and the Tower was as quiet as it can be. The two assassins had gone out to start working out an hour before while Steve and Bruce were in their floors sleeping. Thor was back at Asguard. It left one genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist alone in the common kitchen of the Avenger Tower munching on his Lucky Charms for breakfast.

Tony was busy in his own thoughts of how to redesign the new suit when he heard a small noise coming from the cupboards. Upon further inspection, (he glanced at the direction of the noise) he saw nothing and dismissed it going back to munching on his Lucky Charms and thinking about what new color scheme he can put on the suit.

Black, maybe? It gave him a mysterious edge.

The noise started up again, and this time it was a loud clatter of what sounded like bowls. Tony looked at the general direction of the noise, briefly narrowing his eyes. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Please tell me there isn't an animal in my tower."

Tony was, and always will be, petrified of dogs after his father had shown him a bloody documentary of rabid dogs when he had asked for one.

"No sir, there is no animal in your tower."

"Well then, what the hell is making that noise?"

"Sir that would be Miss Morse."

"Who?"

The little girl, all of two and a half feet tall with strawberry blonde hair and stormy blue-grey eyes, approached him tentatively from the other side of the room where the noise had been coming from.

"I sorry Mister Iron Man," the little girl started, her big eyes hazing over with unshed tears. "Please don't tell daddy. I no mean to beak rule, I hungry."

"Jarvis?"

"According to SHEILD personnel files, her name sir is Hailey Morse, daughter of deceased Bobbi 'Mockingbird' Morse and Clinton 'Hawkeye' Barton. She does not appear to have any records of existence anywhere else."

"Jarvis know me; he my friend," the little girl stated. "You no tell Daddy and Tasha I down here, okay Jarvis?"

"Very well, Miss Morse."

Tony looked at the little girl before him. "How long have you been living here, Miss Morse?"

The girl's face scrunched up, her fingers held out in front of her. "Longest time. Not long like in ship with Mister Pirate Fury, but long. I like here in Tower Mister Iron Man, please don't make me leave."

Tony's heart fell. He knew the feeling of not wanting to be sent aside, away from his house. After all, his father had continually sent him to boarding schools when he just wanted to stay at home and be a regular kid. Well, who was he kidding; his IQ was nowhere near regular.

"You said you were hungry?" Tony asked the little girl squatting down to get to her level. "What did you wanna eat?"

"I comes here to eat your Coke," Hailey replied flashing him a toothy grin. "Daddy no want me to eat the soda because he said it bad and make me... high-per."

"You drink the Coke," Tony corrected the little girl. He glanced around the kitchen thinking of something to give the young girl. He was a horrible cook; he'd burn toast if he made her any. His eyes landed on the extra-large box of Lucky Charms sitting on the table. Maybe today he'll actually share. "You want some of my Lucky Charms?"

Hailey looked at him suspiciously before nodding her head. "Yes please. Can i get it with chocolate milk?"

"Sure," Tony said walking into the kitchen and taking out another bowl and preparing the little girl's cereal. He set it in front of her and then thought about her feeding herself.

"Can you feed yourself?"

"O'course silly! I three," she said flashing three fingers at him proudly. "I almost big enough to go to school!"

"Right," Tony nodded. He watched as the girl dug into her cereal before resuming his previous task of eating his and thinking about new specifications and tweaks to Mark 10. Then his mind wandered to making a smaller suit, for the little girl beside him without Barton knowing.

Then it dawned on him.

"So you know Natasha?"

The girl looked up at him nodding her head, her eyes lighting up. "She's my favorite. She's my Halloween costume."

"You were Black Widow for Halloween?"

"Uhu!" the girl replied enthusiastically, jumping off the breakfast stool that she had previously been on while eating her cereal. "Look I do Black Widow pose."

The girl went down almost on her knees, leaning on the floor with one hand, while the other was straight out aiming with her fist. "Tasha said when I grow up; she let me play with bracelets. Daddy says Tasha's bracelet, his arrows and mama's stick is not for me to play with. I play with mama's magic stick though, they not know."

She placed her hands over her mouth. "You no tell Daddy and Tasha, okay Mister Iron Man?"

"I have a better deal for you kid," Tony started with a smile. "How would you like your own Iron Man suit?"

"Like flying?" the girl's eyes went wide at him. Hailey's favorite Avenger, after her father and Natasha was Iron Man. Mostly because he can fly.

"Of course! I'd have to teach you how to fly first, but yeah, generally."

"Can I?!" Hailey exclaimed jumping to his legs. "Please?! Pretty please?!"

"Just... don't tell your dad or 'Tasha' okay?"

Hailey beamed at him sticking out her small pinky finger.

"Pinky promise."

Stark linked her pinky with his.

"I be your sidekick! Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl!"

Tony chuckled.

This was going to be fun.


	2. Another meeting with Mister Iron Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer in chapter 1

Stark put aside his work with the new suit. He was engrossed in making a mini-Iron Man suit for the little Barton he promised would get her very own. While it was fairly easy to get the dimensions of his suit and have the blue prints for the mini-suit. It was creating the technology that would fit into the smaller frame.

"Hi Mister Iron Man!" the little girl greeted him. Tony jumped back in surprise.

"Shit — SHOOT, kid you scared me!" Tony said correcting himself hoping that the little kid didn't catch on.

"Tasha teach me how sneak up on people," she said with a smile ignoring his language. She's heard it a lot being around Fury. Her father ensured that she would know not to use that kind of language. He told her that it wasn't "lady like" and if she wanted to be a lady then she couldn't use that type of language.

Since 'Tasha was a lady, and she wanted to be like 'Tasha, Hailey decided she couldn't say words like that.

"I bet she did," Tony replied. He looked at Hailey who was looking at the mini-suit with awe.

"That mine?" She asked amazed itching to come closer to touch it. Tony nodded his head, pulling down the tablet and projecting it lower so that it was life sized next to the little girl. "Can I touch it?"

"Yeah."

Hailey reached out her small hand and touched the hologram expecting it to be solid. When her hand went through the digital image, she pouted.

"It not real."

"I'm still building it."

"And then I fly?"

"Then you fly," Tony nodded. Flying, he thought, must be from the small girl's mother. He hacked into the SHEILD files after discovering about Hailey and looked up Mockingbird. She was gorgeous, and Tony wondered how the hell Barton could be so lucky to get the blonde to fall for him. One of Mockingbird's tricks was being able to levitate and fly with the use of what Hailey called her "magic stick."

"Okay," she said climbing on the stool next to Tony's. The girl just looked around her and Tony proceeded to tinker around with the circuit in front of him to develop the suit. After a few minutes of silence, Hailey spoke up tentatively. "Mister Iron-Man, sir?"

"Yeah?"

"You's a gen—-gene—-really smart, right?"

"Well I don't mean to brag but… yes," he smiled. "The word you're looking for there is genius."

"You's can help me fix daddy and Tasha?"

"What's wrong with your daddy and Tasha?" Tony asked putting his tools down and facing the small child.

"Daddy sad coz 'o Uncle Phil, and I try make him happy but he only happy when I there. And Tasha sad too. I wants-ta make everybody happy."

He nodded understanding. Since he started 'consulting' for SHEILD, he (or Pepper) had gotten to know the man very well. He could only imagine those he was actually close to.

"I want to them happy together. Like the prince and the princess. They gonna be happy ever after!"

Tony's eyes lit up. "You want my help to get your daddy and 'Tasha' together?"

Damn. Thor owed him twenty bucks for betting that the two assassins were already "betrothed to one other." Tony on the other hand had sensed the unresolved tension between the two and bet Thor that they weren't.

Twenty dollars richer. Yes!

"So we be a family, like in the movies. And she can be my momma, but no evil momma like in Cindy-ella," she replied nodding her head enthusiastically. "Tasha gonna be good momma."

"You want her to be your mom?"

Hailey smiled. "Uhu! Then her, and me, and daddy all gonna be happily ever after!"

"Okay, what do I get for helping you?" Tony asked the little girl, an eyebrow raised, teasing the kid. He didn't want it to seem like the girl has him around her pinky finger, when it was obvious that she did.

"I no gonna tell Ms. Potts you buy her pretty ring."

"What? How do you know about the ring?"

"I, Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl! I knows-ed everything!"


	3. Mister Thund-Thor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thund-Thor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer's on the first chapter

With her parents off in a twelve hour mission in Marseilles and Jarvis in charge of her care, Hailey was free to roam the Avengers Tower.

Sometimes she liked to sit on the roof and wait for her parents, because she refused to think of Tasha as anything other than mom, to rescue her from the dragons and evil outside. Grant it, she probably watched fairytales with princesses locked up towers one too many times but they were her favorite.

But instead of a prince, she had a mom and a dad there to save her.

Who needed a prince anyway when she had the Avengers?

Today though, she didn't want to sit around waiting for her parents. She wanted to go pretend to be a warrior goddess.

Mister Thund-Thor's floor had dead animals on the wall and gold everything.

The Asguardian was sitting in his living room, left by his team who was off in the world doing one thing or another while he visited. He insisted that they didn't have to treat him as a guest because he treated Midguard as another home. Besides, it gave him time to observe and appreciate the lives of the people he saved.

... If only he could get the magical box to work.

"Jarvis," he asked looking up into the ceiling, in a similar manner that people do when they spoke to the deities.

"What can I do for you Mister Odinson?"

"I would like to learn how to operate this Midguardian magical box."

"What would you like to watch today sir?"

"Give me... the sport of midguardians with a pig skinned oval ball."

"Right away, sir."

Jarvis placed the recording on for Stark to watch later of the Asguardian god screaming at the television like he knew what was happening with the sport.

It was the middle of the third quarter when Thor stood up to stretch his legs and re-fill the now-empty bucket of popcorn. He walked into his kitchen not expecting the small little girl who looked up at him petrified.

"Uh-oh"

"Tiny creature! What might you be?" he asked the small girl. She went up to his knees and was looking up at him with her big bright eyes.

She looked at him, still afraid of the gigantic man. Although her parents and Tony had told her stories of the Asguardian, she didn't imagine him to be that big.

He was almost as big as Clifford the Big Red Dog!

"Who do you belong to, Tiny Creature, so that I may return you to your rightful guardians."

Still, she didn't speak.

"I will not hurt you, I am a good guy. Thor, King of Asguard. Protector of your realm, small Midguardian."

"I is Hailey," she peeped out between her hands which covered her mouth. She slowly lowered her hands and held one out for Thor to shake. "I is good guy... girl too! Mister Iron Man says I is Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl."

"I was not aware that Tony had an offspring."

She scrunched her face and shook her head. "I no oss-pring o' Iron Man! My daddy is Clinton Francis Barton."

Thor nodded his head in recognition taking the girl's still outstretched hand and shaking it. "You are born of a mighty warrior clan, Lady Hailey."

Hailey giggled. "You call me... Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl! It's my superhero name."

"Ahh, you would make a mighty heroine, young Hailey. Your mother and father are great warriors."

"Mama?"

"You know not of your mother's identity as the Widow?"

She shook her head and mumbled, keeping her head low. "Tasha not my mama."

"She is not?" Thor asked surprised. "It was evident to me that there was an attraction there."

"My mama dead."

"I am sorry young one. Nobody should experience such loss."

Haley met his eyes and gave him a small smile. "Is okay. My mama in a good place now, she not hurting no more. 'sides, I get a new mama, Mister Iron Man promise me."

"And how does one acquire a new mother in this realm, young one?"

She rolled her eyes at the man before her. "I gots-ta get daddy and Tasha to say they love each other and kiss and then we will all live happily ever after. Mister Iron Man is gonna help me make them say they love each other and kiss. Then I can a mommy and daddy."

"I am volunteering myself in your noble conquest, young one. I have learned from my brother that everybody deserves a set of parents who love them."

"You's really gonna help me Mister Thund-Thor?"

"Thund-Thor?"

"Uhu! You's the god of Thunder, and you's name is Thor. So you's Thund-Thor."

"You are a very interesting Midguardian."

"You wants-ta play with me?"

For the first time since he's seen the little girl, he noticed the makeshift sword strapped onto her pink belt and how his kitchen looked like a battle field.

"What does on play now?"

"I is warrior princess of Budapest," she said puffing her chest out proudly. "You gots-ta go on your knees so i can make you a knight and you fight the evil Monster-Hydra with me."

Thor kneeled as Hailey had requested. "I would be honored to fight alongside such a mighty warrior."

Hailey smiled up at him; even kneeling he was still considerably taller than her.

"You's now Knight Thund-Thor of Asg-ad."

She took her play sword and touched both his shoulders with a smile.


	4. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking a break from the fluff. Sorry for the angst.

Her father came home at late nights and Hailey was used to it. She was used to hearing her daddy's footsteps walk up to her door and a chaste kiss goodnight on her forehead. Tonight was just like those nights, except ever since they moved into the Avengers Tower with the rest of the super heroes, her father's footsteps was accompanied by another set. Tasha's.

"You know she's awake when you get into her room at night," the older woman's voice echoed into the hallway and into Hailey's room. It was already dark, and the digital clock that sat on her bedside table read 0234.

"I know she wakes up," her father's voice echoed back. " But I want to keep up the appearnces. You know, normal family and all."

"Family huh?"

Hailey's bat hearing perked up. Family.

She imagined Tasha's eyebrows arched up.

"Yeah, Tash. I know she calls you mom when it's just the two of you."

"You—how?"

There was a pause which brought Hailey to bit her nails. She hoped her father wasn't mad at her for calling Natasha mother.

"She slipped."

"I-I'm sorry. I know how much you try and keep Bobbi's memory alive with her…"

"Bobbi is her mother, of course I want to keep her memory with Hailey. You shouldn't humor her, letting you call her mom and all."

"I'm not humoring her."

"She's not your daughter, Natasha."

Hailey sat up next to the door. Although she didn't have to. Her dad and Tasha's voice were raised, angry with one another.

"I know that Clint," the older woman spat. "You don't think out of all people, I know, constantly reminded that she's not my daughter? That it was my fault because I let you go?"

"Nat…"

"Why won't you tell her about us, huh? Why do we have to hide our relationship, from her of all people? She would be over the moon if she found out!"

Relationship? Hailey thought in her head. She clutched her bear in excitement. Maybe they were going to be a family, after all. She didn't even need Mister Iron man or Mister Thor's help.

"I just… We don't even know what we are. Sometimes we're friends, sometimes we're more than that… I don't want to confuse her, or her to be hurt when –"

"When what, Clint? When you decide that you two are too good for me. When you decide that I can't be the mother that she needs and you two just leave me? Tell me, I can take it."

"It's not that… I just don't want her to forget Bobbi. Okay?"

"Don't worry Barton. The girl praises the ground her mother walked on. She would never forget. But you have to move on, you both do."

"Don't be selfish, Natasha. You don't even know Bobbi."

"You're right. I don't, how can I compare to someone so – perfect?"

"That's not what I – "

"You know what, Barton? I'm done trying."

Hailey's eyes widened when she heard the front door to the apartment slam shut. The apartment was engulfed in silence as she slowly made her way to her bed.

"I know you were awake for that," her father's voice echoed in the room. He was leaning against her door.

"Why you let Tasha go?" Hailey mumbled, tears falling out of her eyes.

"I didn't. She's upstairs in apartment. She didn't go anywhere."

"She not staying here tonight? What 'bout my gymnastics lessons, she always teach me in the mornings."

"I'm sure she'll come by tomorrow and pick you up for gymnastics," he reassured her brushing the hair from her forehead. "Here… Jarvis?"

"Yes sir?"

"Would you kindly ask Agent Romanoff if she would still pick up Hailey for her morning gymnastics tomorrow?"

"Miss Romanoff stated she would, sir. 0800 tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Jarvis."

"Will that be all sir?"

"Yes, thank you."

Hailey's tears stopped but she looked at Clint still, sadness radiating in her eyes. "What's wrong, Bird?"

"If I pinky promise, swear on my heart hope to die, promise that I will never ever forget mommy… will you tell Momma Tasha to come back?"

"It's not up to me, baby. Maybe you can ask Tasha tomorrow. But for now, it's bed time, or else you won't wake up in time for your gymnastics."

"Okay," Hailey nodded letting her father go through the motions of tucking her into bed.

"Sweet dreams, baby."

"Goodnight, daddy."

Thirty minutes later, Natasha felt the other side of the bed dip slightly. Her gun already in her hand, safety off as she felt for the second movement aiming at the person who entered her bed.

"It's me, momma," she heard Hailey whispered. Natasha lowered her gun, placing the safety back on and onto her side table, away from the young girl. Natasha scooted from the center of the bed, making room for Hailey to climb in.

"What are you doing up, Hail?" Natasha asked letting the small girl lay her head on her lap. She stroked Hailey's soft hair.

"I wanna-ta talk to you."

"About what, darling?"

"I wanna-ta tell you not to listen to daddy."

"I won't leave you," Natasha whispered to her, familiar with the fears that were going through Hailey's mind. "I'll still be there for you for gymnastics, ballet, Russian classes… whatever you want."

"But you won't be my momma?" Hailey looked up at her with sad eyes. "Is it coz I bad kid? I promise I be good! No more sneaking to see Mister Iron Man or playing with Mister Thund-Thor! If you be momma please?"

Natasha looked at the young girl surprised, tucking in the bit of information about meeting and "playing" with the team later on. This was a completely different issue she was going to have to deal with.

"It's not that I don't want to be your momma, but you already have one. Maybe somewhere down the road, your daddy will find someone he loves very much and marry her. Then you'll have a new momma."

"Why can't you be her?"

Natasha shook her head. How does she explain love to a child? "Because, Hailey. I can't."

"Can I still call you momma?"

"Only when it's the two of us, okay? Otherwise your father might not let me see you anymore."

"Why daddy no want you ta-be my momma? Yous the only momma I ever knew-ed."  
"I'll tell you when you get older," Natasha promised, just as she did with everything else she thought was too complex for the small girl to understand.

"Can I cuddle with you tonight?"

Natasha bit her lip and shook her head. "You have to get back to your princess bed, baby."

"But I wanna cuddle with you."

"You have to go back to your daddy, Hailey."

Natasha stood up from her bed, carrying the small child up on her hip. She walked to the elevator as Hailey screamed and protested, wiggling in her tight hold.

"You lie to me! You's gonna leave me too!"

Natasha pulled the girl closer to her body. "That's not true, Hail."

"You no want me! You no love me! You lie! You don't wanna be my momma!"

Hailey threw a fit as they got into the elevator and made their way onto Clint's floor.

"I don't love you anymore, momma! Yous gonna leave me too!"

Clint was waiting for them at the door when he heard Hailey's scream from the elevator. He shot Natasha a curious look.

"She came into my room from the vents," Natasha replied handing the child over to her father. "You should probably sleep with her tonight."

Hailey was hiccupping, tears coming down uncontrollably from her eyes. "It's way past your bedtime, baby."

"I… I think we shouldn't have gymnastics tomorrow morning. Let her rest up a little for the rest of the week," Natasha said watching Clint walk away with Hailey in his arms. Clint nodded his head, his back turned to her as Natasha walked over to the elevator to give the small family space. After all, as of that night, she wasn't part of that family any longer.


	5. Assassins and Fairytales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback's appreciated (:

More than two weeks after sneaking up the rafters and getting grounded by her dad, Hailey has yet to see the red headed woman who she considered her mother. After the first week, she figured that Tasha just wanted to be alone. When Hailey wanted to be alone, she locked herself in the room and told Jarvis that she didn't want anyone even her father or mother to come in. After a week and a half, Hailey was losing hope that she would see Tasha again. She never left without saying goodbye, or left without telling her where she was going and a kiss promising that she would be back.

"Hailey, sweetie," her father called out to her. "It's time for your Russian lesson."

Hailey rolled her eyes and shook her head defiantly. "Nyet, papa."

"Why not?"

"I's only wanna learn from Tasha. Where's Tasha?"

"She's out on a mission, honey."

"She no say'd bye to me," she pouted.

Her father sighed running his hand through his hair. "I... It's gonna be weird for a little while, okay baby? I know you've been used to Tasha being here all the time but... She..."

"She left me?"

Clint looked at her with sad eyes. "I..."

Hailey's eyes were large and filled with tears. "She break'd her promise! She pinky promised!"

"I'm sorry Hailey," he stated trying to pull his daughter in for a hug. Hailey ran away from his grasp just as Natasha taught her to.

"No! Is your fault! You sent her away! She no want to leave me but you MADES her! I HATES you! Hates you a lot!" she exclaimed, tears rolling down her eyes. Her father watched as Hailey ran to her room and locked the door. She crawled up in the corner of her room clutching a redheaded doll that Tasha had given to her. It was her "Tasha Doll," the doll that Natasha gave her to remind her that she would always be there. It was after the first mission Natasha went to without Clint where Hailey freaked out and looked for Natasha and couldn't sleep until she was back. The next week, which just happened to be the first Christmas that they spent with each other, Natasha presented her the doll. A redhead doll clad in black latex spandex and a holister that contained a stuffed gun. The doll was even decked out with widow bites that lit up. In essence, it was Natasha, and Hailey loved it.

"Mister Jarvis?"

"Yes Miss Morse?"

"No letting Daddy in, okay?"

"Yes, Miss Morse."

Hailey sat in the corner clutching her doll in her arms. "Why yous leave me Tasha? You promised you not gonna leave like Momma left."

She sat there for a while until Jarvis spoke up.

"Miss Morse, I am sorry to interrupt, but Mister Stark would like you to come down to the lab. He has finished creating your costume and would like you to test it."

Hailey smiled at the thought, but shook her head. "Tell Mister Iron Man I-is don't want to be his side-kick anymore."

"Right away, Ma'am."

A few beats later, Tony Stark was entering her room. "Hailey?"

Hailey shot up from her seat at the corner of her room. "Yous not allowed here, Mister Iron Man, sir. This my room."

Stark smirked at the small girl. "Last time I checked, Miss Morse, this is my building."

"But is my room," Hailey muttered into her doll.

"Alright well," Tony said looking around and seeing a play table set. The tea set was out and ready. There were stuffed animals that sat on two chairs while two seats were left unoccupied. "May I sit down?"

Hailey looked at her doll then at Stark. "Sure."

She walked over to her tea set party and sat at the only empty spot. She took the bear sitting on her right and lifted it up and placed it at the corner of the room where the rest of her toys were neatly, chaotically, placed. Hailey then walked to the stable and put her Tasha doll next to her. She served Tony imaginary tea and plastic toy bread from the center of the table.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Miss Morse."

"Is been grounded," Hailey muttered. "I no do nothing bad, but daddy... he the one been bad."

"What did Lego-your daddy do?"

"He makes Tasha go away."

Stark's eyebrows crunched together. "Natasha went out on a mission a week ago, without -"

She bowed her head slowly. "I no wants to be your side-kick no more Mister Iron Man. I-sorry, please don't be mad."

"Why do you think I would be mad?"

"Coz-o you spent lots-o time makin' me a Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl suit and I-s no wants to be it anymore."

He shook his head. "I don't mind, but why don't you want to be my sidekick anymore?"

"I... I wants-ta be happy life when I-grows old," she whispered. "I wants-ta... be a momma and has a baby who has a daddy and we all live happily ever after."

"What about your plan? You know, for you dad and Tasha."

"Daddy no wanted to be with Tasha anymore. He makes her leave."

"So..."

"I no wants to live angrily-ever-after, like daddy and Tasha. They's spies. I wants to live like the fairytales. They no has fairytales for superheroes, everyone they loves leaves. I no wanna be leaves-ed by everybody."

Tony sighed knowing the feeling that she was going through. He was sent to boarding schools, one after another and in retrospect, he understood the motive behind his father's actions towards him. He was a weakness to SHEILD, to the country. Tony would have been in danger for a long time had they thought that kidnapping the small, helpless child that he was, would affect the stoic man that Howard Stark was.

Tony understood why Barton and Romanoff had been keeping the small girl under wraps. To protect her.

But more importantly, he understood the feeling of always being left.

"I promise you, the Avengers will always be here for you," Tony smiled at her, it was out of character for the Tony Stark that everyone knew, but he was human. He had a soft spot. This lost little girl happen to be it.

Hailey looked up at him with big bright eyes. "Pinky promise?"

He nodded holding out his pinky. As Hailey reached over to link her pinky with his, Tony pulled his hand back surprising her. "Only if you promise you will be my sidekick again. I have an idea on how to give Pep her ring and I need a sidekick for it."

She smiles up at him and linked their fingers.

"Pinky promise!"


	6. Chapter 6

Steve Rogers sat on the roof on the Avengers Tower looking down at the city below him. While there were more buildings, higher in levels that tower over the smaller boroughs, Steve thought from up there, it didn't seem too different. He could spot lovers, loners, happy people who go about their day, and those that wished that the day would just end.

Yes, while technology changed the world, cars were faster, boats could fly. People were still people.

In the middle of his philosophical thoughts, a sound of a small child disturbed him.

"Oops," the small voice muttered. Steve turned to look at the small child, no more than five years, from what he could tell, standing there wearing a signature "hands in the cookie jar" face.

"Hi," he said gently smiling at the child. He wondered briefly if Peggy had children, and how beautiful they would be. He shook his head, now was not the time to think about what could have beens. Now was the time to think about why there was a little girl running around the Tower.

"Hi," the little girl replied timidly. "I's Hailey. Yous Mister Captain Rogers America."

Steve's smile got bigger. "I am, what are you doing way up here, Miss Hailey?"

"Hidin'," She stated with a smile. "Is my hidin' place."

Steve stood up from where he sat brushing off his khakis. "I'm sorry for disturbing your hiding place, I didn't mean to."

"'S okay, Mister Iron Man cheats anyways," she scoffed. "He uses-ed Jarvis' cameras coz Jarvis don't wanna tell him where I hide."

"You're playing hide-and-seek with Tony Stark?"

Hailey grinned at the man before him. "Uhu! Mister Thund-Thor also plays, and Mister Hulk Banner too!"

"You have the whole Avengers, playing hide and seek with you?"

She shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Yous and daddy not playing. Tasha not here so she not playing. You wants-ta play?"

Steve made a gesture that stated he was thinking about it. It wouldn't be bad, it would actually give him something to do other than contemplate the differences between his present and this present.

"Pwease Mister Captain Rogers America?"

Hailey's big eyes looked up at him in her signature puppy dog pout that has gotten her pretty much everything she ever wanted in the world, well almost everything.

"Okay, I'll play with you."

She squealed and hugged his leg before letting go and grabbing his hand. "Come on, Mister Captain Rogers America! We has to down to the Com'n area. You gonna be it thought coz you just got in the game."

When the elevator opened into the Common Area floor, Tony Stark jumped out from behind the bamboo plant that Pepper had insisted on placing there to give it a more homely look. "I found you! You're it Hailey!"

Hailey shook her head pointing over to Steve. "Mister Captain Rogers America wants-ta play. He's it!"

Tony nodded his head. "Jarvis, call Thor and Bruce up here. We have a new person to play with."

Meanwhile three floors up where Hailey and Tony was hiding, the elevator opened to let Clint Barton into his floor.

"Hailey!" He called out to the direction of his daughter's room. Since his "break up" with Natasha, it was where Hailey spent most of her time. Or so he thought.

When no response came, Clint walked to his daughter's room to check on her, expecting her to be curled up on the floor, taking a nap. When he didn't find her there, or anywhere on his floor really. He started to panic.

Riding the elevator up one floor to Natasha's, he walked into the living room where she had the TV on, a news report playing in the background while she typed away a report on the computer. He stood at the entrance of her living room. She had made it perfectly clear that her was no longer welcome in her home. "Natasha?"

She turned from her work to find Clint standing there, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Is there something you need, Barton?"

"Uh," Clint paused raising his hand up to scratch the back of his neck. He threw her a sheepish look, meeting her tired green eyes. "Is Hailey here?"

Natasha's eyes narrowed on him. "You made it perfectly clear that you don't want her anywhere near me."

He had made it clear to her that he didn't want her near Hailey. That she would corrupt the little girl and somehow turn her into the killer that Natasha grew up to become. It hurt for her because Clint thought that Natasha would take away what little memory, or stories, that the little girl had of her mother. Natasha didn't want to take Bobbi's place in the young girl's life. She just wanted to be a part of it.

Clint sighed. "Nat, please. She wasn't anywhere in my floor, and the only two floors that she knows is my and yours."

"She's not here, Clint."

"Would you tell me if she was?" he asked her, honestly.

She responded by throwing a knife in his direction, grazing his cheek, but not enough to do damage. "Don't you dare accusing me of taking your daughter."

Clint deflated. "I'm sorry, okay? I just... I don't know where she is."

"Did you ask Jarvis?" she asked him putting the second knife she was about to throw his way to snap him out of it, back into its case.

He bowed his head shaking it. She sighed looking at the direction of the wall. "Jarvis?"

"Yes Agent Romanoff?" the AI responded to her call.

"Where is Hailey?"

"I'm afraid I cannot disclose her location at the moment."

Natasha's eyes narrowed to the paining which hid the control panel for the AI. "Why exactly can you not disclose her location to me?"

"My serves have been overridden, Agent Romanoff," Jarvis responded. "Miss Morse has made me promise not to disclose her location to anyone. "

She looked over at where Clint was standing, leaning against the elevator frame. "She's not on the roof, I checked."

"Why would she tell Jarvis not to tell us where she is?" she asked aloud.

"I... I don't know, Tasha. I..."

Natasha went over to her laptop, pulling out her access card and slipping it into her pocket. "We need to get to the living room and talk to Tony. He may be able to re-access Jarvis in telling us where she is."

The ride down to the common area was full of Clint muttering and pacing around the elevator as Natasha leaned on the back-left corner of the small space and watched him.

"Clint, she's going to be okay," Natasha whispered in the small elevator.

He turned sharply to her, his worried eyes meeting her green ones. "You know that, is that what you know?"

She opened her mouth to reply to him when the elevator opened to the common room. As soon as Clint stepped out of the elevator, he ran into the six foot demi-god giant.

"Friend Barton!" Thor exclaimed. "My apologies, I am pre-occupied with finding those who are 'hiders' in this glorious battle of hide-and-seek."

Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Perhaps you both can help me?" the god of Thunder asked them, with a puppy dog expression. "I have been, what you call, 'it,' for an eternity."

Clint shook his head. "Have you seen Stark? We - I need to talk to him."

Thor shook his head. "The Man of Iron is part of the game, a very formidable foe. As is your daughter, a great warrior like her mother and father."

Natasha's attention, which had been at Clint who walked past Thor and was searching the common room, snapped to Thor. "You know Hailey?"

"She is the master of this game, that little one," Thor replied with a smile on his face. "She must have inherited your great abilities, Lady Natasha."

She nodded without paying much attention to Thor's assumption that she was Hailey's mother. Most people did when they saw her, Clint and Hailey together. Or used to, when they would go out and enjoy the day together.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes, Agent Romanoff?"

"Will you tell Hailey to get her little butt up here, as soon as possible. The game is over."

"Right away Agent Romanoff."

It wasn't a minute later when the elevator opened with an innocent looking Hailey who was throwing both Natasha and her father, the signature puppy dog look.

"Hi daddy, hi Tasha," she greeted them, walking to the leather couch where they sat.

Natasha and Clint made eye contact before turning to look over at Hailey again.

"You're grounded, missy," Clint replied. "We kept you up there for a reason. I didn't even know that the team knew who you were!"

"But da-"

"We did to protect you, ребенок (baby)."

"I was bor-ed," Hailey tried to reason.

Clint shook his head. "Three weeks. No shows, no iPad, and definitely no leaving the floor."

The little girl's mouth hung open. Three weeks was forever. She turned to Natasha, who was surprisingly the softer one when it came to punishment hoping that she would change it to a week, maybe a day.

"Sorry, Hailey. I can't change what your dad's punishment is," Natasha told her. "It's not my place."

Clint stood up from his seat beside Natasha, scooping up his daughter and placing her on her hip. He walked to the elevator with a sobbing little girl while the team watched.

When Clint pressed the button to the elevator. Tony walked up to him patting him on the shoulder that Hailey's head wasn't on, while subtly - as word that is rarely used to describe the man - handed Hailey a small piece of paper.

"Congratulations, it's a girl!" Tony exclaimed when Clint turned around.

Clint's reaction was stoic, angry to say the least. The elevator doors opened and Clint walked inside not minding the rest of the team, or Tony who stood there winking at his daughter.

She opened the paper.

'The Avengers will save you, don't worry.'

Hailey met Tony's eyes over her father's shoulder throwing him a smile.

Good thing Natasha taught her how to read.


	7. Av-vise from Mister Hulk Banner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> See title (:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy some Hailey - Dr. Banner interaction.

While the Avengers promised her that they will save her, Hailey didn't really need saving. Natasha was around more, feeling guilty that she broke her promise to the little girl.

"Hailey, you have to work on your back handspring before we can move on to aerials," Natasha stated standing at the end of the mats where she taught Hailey gymnastics.

"But momma," Hailey whined to her, putting on the full pout. "It looks so cool when you do it."

"And I'm only able to do it, princess, because I worked on my basic skills," she said fixing the stray hair that has fallen out of the little girl's otherwise perfect bun. Hailey huffed at her before walking over to the mats again causing Natasha to smile at her.

"I's gotta be perfect, then I gets to do air-yal?"

"You're already perfect. You just have to practice more, so that you're safe."

"Okay, momma," Hailey replied performing her perfect basic tumbling sequence.

From the shadows, Clint clapped his hands together, making Natasha tense and Hailey turn to the source of the sound.

"Good job, baby," Clint said with a smile, coming to a stop next to Natasha. Hailey beamed at the both of them.

"I show you 'gain, daddy."

This time, Hailey performed a different sequence including a few jumps as she tumbled around the mat.

Clint let his eyes focus on his daughter, while addressing Natasha. "Thank you for teaching her."

"It's not a problem."

"She uh... she was really..." Clint stuttered. "She's behind on her Russian."

"Alright."

"She's also behind on -"

"She's your child, Clint," Natasha muttered watching Hailey do her finishing sequence.

"I - Look she-"

Clint's stuttering was cut off when Hailey ran up to them with a big smile on her face. "Did you see? Did ya? Did ya?"

"You were amazing," Natasha stated with a smile. She turned to leave the gym when Hailey caught her hand.

"You's not gonna go 'ta lunch with us?"

Natasha shook her head, squeezing Hailey's hand. "I have to go to work, but I'll take you out to lunch sometime... If it's alright with your dad."

Hailey looked up at Clint expectantly, her face going into a pout. "Please, daddy?"

"If you're good," Clint stated looking up and meeting Natasha's eyes.

Natasha turned away to leave the family alone, stalking up to her room where she changed for her date. A lunch date at that, she figured that it was safe. A dinner date always made people assume more. This way she could just... say she had something planned for later that afternoon if the date wasn't working out.

It was a bright, sunny, Afternoon where New York's hustle and bustle was accompanied by kids shrieking with happiness. She scanned her surroundings, freezing up a little when she noticed Clint and Hailey out at the patio, Hailey talking animatedly to her father, as she always does. She had to calm her brain that went straight into panic mode when she noticed her date was looking right at her, sitting a few tables down from Hailey and Clint.

Finally meeting her date's eyes, Natasha unconsciously tugged her white sundress down lower, and hugged her jean jacket a little tighter. One would never guess that she was the Black Widow walking around looking so uncomfortable. The fifteen steps (yes she counted) that it took from where she stood to where her date, James, was sitting, she had to convince herself to suck it up. That it didn't matter that Clint was in the same restaurant as she was having lunch with his daughter, while she was out on the first date – a set up thanks to Pepper – in about six years.

Besides, Natasha, she told herself. Clint doesn't care.

The 'devil' in her mind chuckled. He doesn't want you, anyway.

"Hey," she said with a smile. He stood up pulling her seat for her and pushing it in once she sat down.

"I hope you don't mind sitting out here," he stated, flashing her a smile. "It's a beautiful day outside."

"It's fine, James. Like you said, it's a beautiful day outside."

"Good," he smiled at her.

Four tables down, in the patio area of the same restaurant, Hailey and Clint were having lunch. Hailey was devouring her mac and cheese, while Clint stared at the redheaded woman whose back was turned to him.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Daddy?" Hailey asked noticing her father's intense stare. She turned around in her seat before Clint could stop her. Hailey's eyes widened and a smile appeared on her face as she recognized the redhead sitting a few tables down. "It's Tasha! She says she's..."

"She's working," Clint replied gruffly. "Finish your Mac and Cheese, baby. I'll take you to the zoo after."

Hailey placed a spoon full of mac and cheese into her mouth, shaking her head. "I wants-ta go with Tasha later."

"She's working," he repeated. Although he knew that she wasn't. Natasha Romanoff had a switch, and as one of the only to ever see her both at work and in person, he knew what the difference was. The way she unconsciously played with her hair, or the glass of raspberry tea - and indulgent that she only let herself have off the job - were telltale signs.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Natasha was on a date.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Clint was angry.

It was almost midnight, and Bruce was quietly staring at his white board, trying to determine why the formula that he created wasn't working out, when he heard a small noise that signaled an air vent getting lifted. He turned around with a smile on his face.

"Hailey Morse," he said quietly making the girl freeze midway to putting the misplaced tile from the vent back on. "You are not supposed to be up this late."

"I needs your a-vise Mister Hulk Banner," Hailey stated climbing down from the bookshelf carefully with Bruce's help.

"What do you need my advice for?" Bruce asked with a small smile. He watched as the young girl sat herself down on one of the black leather stools, crossing her legs and using her arms to rotate herself. He followed suit, pulling another lab stool and sitting on it facing her.

"Is about being mad - and Mister Iron Man says yous' the bestest person ta-talk 'bout 'ang-gur ishus'."

"'Why are you angry, Hailey?"

She shook her head. "Not me, silly! Is 'bout daddy and 'Tasha."

Should've seen that one coming, Banner.

"What about your dad and Natasha?"

From what Bruce could tell, while the tension was high the past few weeks that Natasha left suddenly for a mission, the tension was gone. Natasha seemed lighter and she had been spending more time with Hailey like she had before they all met the little girl.

"Daddy got a ang-ry face at lunch," Hailey recalled. "He only make dat face when he really mad 'bout somethin'."

"Well there are a lot of things that could have gone wrong to make him mad, Hailey."

She shook her head once again, more vigorously this time. "It's cozza-we saw Momma 'Tasha at the rest-resto-at the place, and she told-ed us she workin'... but it look'd -ya know in movies? Like... Like Lady and the Tramp with the sp'hetti?"

"Like she was on a date?"

"Uhu. Add-ate."

"Sometimes, that's Natasha's job, Hailey."

"Nuh-uh. She no look like Agent Romanoff playin' dress up. She look-ed Tasha. My Tasha."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"I wants ta know... hows you get from Mister Ang-ry Hulk to Mister Hulk Banner... so's I do for daddy and Tasha. Then they not ang-ry no more and... we goes back ta 'for when we was a family."

"I uh..."

"You no gots form'las for it?"

Bruce sighed. "I'll make one, just for you."

"You's gonna make me, and daddy, and Tasha be a fam'ly 'gain Mister Hulk Banner?!" Hailey's face lit up. "Mister Iron Man was right! You da bestest!"

"No promises," Bruce stated, he watched as the young girl's face fell. "But I'll try."

He looked at Hailey who smiled and tried to cover up her yawn. Bruce smiled at her, "But first you have to promise to go straight back up to your room and sleep. It's way past your bedtime, Miss Morse."

Hailey nodded her head, fatigue catching up on her little body fast. She covered up another yawn as Bruce walked her to the elevator, not trusting her safety in the air vents.

"Good night, Mister Hulk Banner."

"Good night, Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl."

Hailey giggled as doors of the elevators closed.

Bruce sighed. How do I fix this?


	8. Chapter 8

"Pst! Hailey!" Stark said interrupting the tea party that Hailey had set up in her room. Her brown teddy bear (Mister Fluffy), her white rabbit (Misus Fluffy), and the black bear with an eye patch on its left eye (Mister Fury), was sitting around her with pretend tea and crackers in front of them.

Hailey rolled her eyes and politely excused herself from her tea-table, walking up to Tony Stark. She had her hands akimbo style looking up at Iron Man with a glare that rivaled Natasha's. "Yes Mister Iron Man? You gots-ta make this fast. We's talkin' about important stuff."

"Well do you think you could post-pone your meeting with - wait is that a NICK FURY BEAR?!" Stark exclaimed finally noticing the bear with the patch on him. Hailey smiled at him nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Uncle Fury gaves him to me when I was just little," Hailey explained. "I no wants to leave him so he gaves me Uncle-Director-Fury-Bear, he says so he be with me always."

Stark nodded his head eying the bear. He knew that Fury would have put some sort of tech in the bear to watch out for the little girl. It seemed as though everyone was charmed by the young blonde as the Avengers were.

Stark shook his head from his thoughts before smiling back down to Hailey. "Well, I have a surprise for you that's better than the bear."

Hailey's eyes lit up in excitement. "Really?!"

"Yeah! Jarvis and I, well mostly 'I' -"

"I'm afraid that's not true sir, I did most of the work," Jarvis pipped up interrupting Stark. He made a hand motion in the air before turning back to Hailey.

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," Stark continued. "Your suit is finished. Tested and completely safe."

Hailey gasped, her eyes widening. "It is?!"

"Yeah. I was going to ask if you wanted to try it on but I can see that you're busy meeting with important uh... animals?"

"Stuffed animals," she corrected him. "Wait here, okay Mister Iron Man? I gots-ta tell them I gots called away on a very 'portant mission."

"I'll be right here."

Hailey skipped to her tea-table and muttered a goodbye and an excuse that she was being called off on official Avengers mission and had to leave.

"I's sorry," she muttered to her 'guests.' "We gonna we-zoom (resume) the meetin' later, okay? I gots called on 'fish-al buiz-ness."

Stark watched as the little girl shook hands with her stuffed animals before turning to him with a smile on her face. "Is really finished?"

"Of course!"

Hailey looked up at him skeptically." 'zit purple?"

"And -"

"Blue?" Hailey asked him. "Not boy-blue, pretty blue?"

"Pretty blue," Stark replied stepping out of the elevator into his lab and grabbing Hailey's hand to make sure that the mini-assassin doesn't touch anything and blow something up. He was going to be in enough trouble as it was with Barton and Romanoff - and Pepper... and Cap... and Bruce... and - regardless. It was worth it to see the little girl's eyes light up and giggle as she approached the Michelle (Hailey refused to get in a suit that was called 'Mark') 3. The third model, that he had to make sure was safe for the little girl.

"I's can fly 'n it?"

"I would have to teach you."

"An' shoot bad guys like Momma Tasha?"

"You'd have to be really careful."

"An' I talk to Jarvis inside? He gives-ed me advice?"

"If you ask nicely."

Hailey squealed hugging his leg, "Can-May I peas put it on Mister Iron Man? Peas, peas, peas?!"

Tony nodded his head leading the little girl to the small assembling machine that would let the robots put the armor on her.

"Now you have to be really careful and stand still," Tony stated. At that, Hailey froze causing Tony to laugh. "Not that still, just... be relaxed."

Hailey breathed a sigh of relief before nodding her head, relaxing on the podium. Tony watched as his robots gently placed the armor the small girl.

"It's going to be a little heavy, okay?" Tony warned her, not wanting her to go through the shocks.

"O-kay Mister Iron Man."

"And when it finishes assembling, don't do anything until I tell you to, alright?" Tony asked placing his head set complete with a mini camera in the front on himself. He needed to coach her from the outside. He even placed Jarvis' full attention and control on the suit so that if anything happened, Hailey would be safe in it.

"'kay."

With the suit fully assembled on the small girl, Tony watched her awe-d reaction from the small screen in front of him. "You ready to rock, Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl?"

"Super-duper-duper ready Mister Iron Man, sir!"

"Alright so first..."


	9. Chapter 9

Hailey sat obediently in her "school chair" as Natasha sat in front of her teaching her Russian. Hailey sighed tiredly, bored of the grammar that she was slowly starting to grasp. usually she was more attentive but since her lessons on controlling the suit, she would rather spend her time flying and being at high places than sitting learning languages.

"Вы слушаете меня, детка?" (Are you listening to me, baby?) Natasha asked the little girl sensing the way that her eyes moved from the paper to the window.

"Да, мама," Hailey sighed.

"Hailey," Natasha said switching to English, her accent slipping through after speaking a full hour in Russian.

"I knows I not 'pose ta call you 'mama,' buts you says I can if we're 'lone together."

"It's not that. I just want to know what's going on. You're usually more happy when learning Russian."

"I just bored, mama. I con-sentate, I promise. I sorry for make you sad."

"I'm not sad, детка."

Hailey shook her head. "I sad too."

Natasha crunched her eyebrows in confusion. Hailey was usually such a happy little girl who had a great smile on her face. Since the Avengers openly found out about her, and her father lifting her grounding, Hailey seemed so much happier.

"Why are you sad, baby?"

"Coz-a you, and me, and daddy, we don't's get-ta go to the zoo no more, or has movie nights, or anything coz-a you don't love us," Hailey said honestly her eyes focused down on the paper and refusing to meet Natasha's eyes. Natasha had always been strong and there were only a few instances when she ha seen the redhead woman cry. Hailey didn't want Natasha to see her crying.

"Sweetie," Natasha whispered, her heart breaking at the sight of the little girl. She brushed Hailey's blonde locks out of her face and cupped her chin, gently lifting her face so that Natasha could see her eyes. Eyes which were exactly like her fathers. They were watered and tears were running down the young girl's cheeks which Natasha brushed away with a small smile. "This is why we didn't want to - why we didn't... you weren't supposed to get sad by it."

"I wants you ta be my momma still."

"I can't."

"Coz-a you don't loves me anymore."

"That's... that's not true, Hailey."

"Hows-come other kids gets to have mommies?" Hailey asked her innocently, tears slipping down her face, one after another. "How comes some peoples have two mommies who loves them and I don't even gets one? I just wants one, I just wants you."

Natasha shook her head in protest taking the little girl gently in her arms, wrapping her arms around the small child. "You will always be my little girl."

Hailey sobbed in her arms.

Natasha soothed the small child. "I will always, always love you. That's a promise."

The two sa there clutching each other as Hailey's sobbing died down, letting fall into a much needed slumber. Natasha stood up easily with a sleeping Hailey in her arms, going into the elevator and pressing the button that took her to Clint's floor.

"Hey, your lessons ended early," Clint greeted them trying to take the sleeping girl from Natasha's arms. Natasha only shook her head in response to his action causing him to back up. "What's wrong?"

"Let me put her down," Natasha whispered. "We need to talk."

Clint nodded his head, following Natasha and lingering by the door as she set Hailey down on her princess bed. He watched as Natasha leaned over the small girl, placing a kiss on her temple and tucking her in her covers like she knew Hailey loved. He watched the the redhead closed the overhead curtains which gave the bed a full effect of "princess," before turning to face him, the tenderness on her face that was there moments earlier were gone.

Clint followed Natasha as she walked determined to the living room, sitting on one of the black leather couches.

"What happened?" Clint asked Natasha who sat silently on the couch, looking at one of the pictures on the mantle of the fireplace.

"She cried herself to sleep," Natasha whispered. "She hasn't done that since... for a long time."

"What was wrong? Did she tell you? She hasn't told me that anything was wrong," Clint rambled standing up and pacing across the table in the living room. "Who hurt her?"

"Us," Natasha whispered. "We... she didn't - I understand you don't want me in her life. But does she get to have a choice?"

"What?"

"She didn't think I loved her anymore... That I just left her. God Clint! Do you know how much that hurts? You have to let me see her more than a few lessons a week."

"We've talked about this Natasha," Clint sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "It's over-"

Natasha stood up from her seat coming to Clint's face. Although she was considerably smaller than him, she wasn't any less intimidating. "I don't give a damn if we're over, Barton. If you want to move on; I don't care. What-who I care about is that little girl in there who thinks that she's not good enough to have a mother because Bobbi died when she was younger and.. and she think I left her."

Clint took a step back from her before sighing, closing his eyes in defeat. "This is exactly why I didn't want you two to get close."

"Well it's too late for that now, isn't it?" Natasha argued. "You said to me, you made me promise when we started whatever we did that we were going to do whatever it took to make her happy. That if she didn't want me to be in your life, I would have to walk out because Hailey came first. I'm not asking to be your - whatever the hell we were. I'm just asking that you let me take her to the zoo, or to the park, or something... anything. Clint, please."

Clint looked at the redhead, meeting his blue eyes with her green ones. "I... I just thought - I wanted what was best for her."

"I know," Natasha whispered.

"Just.. let me know when you're taking her out?"

Natasha smiled at him nodding her head before turning her back to him, walking straight to the elevator.

Clint stood at his spot resisting the urge to put his arms around her.


	10. Mother Daughter Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Hailey have a day out  
> \-- This is a completely new plot from what I had originally posted on ff.net. More fluff :) I hope you guys enjoy it!

Hailey looked up at Natasha as they walked the streets on New York City. Her hand gripped Natasha's hard not wanting to get lost, and all too aware of the dangers out there. The greatest thing about New York City was that the evil people were obvious to anyone who tried to look. Hailey knew enough of the sings, had been taught it at her young age that she knew exactly what to watch out for. But it didn't matter, with Natasha she was safe.

"Where we going, Momma?" Hailey asked looking up to Natasha.

"Well, you know how we like to do our nails and hair in the Tower?" Natasha asked, Hailey nodded her head in agreement. "We're having a spa day, then we're going shopping so you can have new dresses to wear for your tea parties."

The small girl's eyes lit up. "Really?"

The redhead smiled down at the girl, "Really, really."

They reached their destination at the spa, a special mother-daughter spa with massage tables made for kids. Hailey looked around happily taking in the surroundings. Like every girl, she loved being pampered, and while the Avengers spoil her enough, Natasha thought there was no such thing for such a great girl like her.

The receptionist walked up to them with a smile on her face. "Ma'am, do you have an appointment?"

"We do," Natasha nodded. "Natalie and Hannah Blake."

The other woman looked at her list with a smile crossing out their names. "Oh yes, this way, ma'am."

Natasha took Hailey's hand to help her stand and then lifted the young girl up to her hip following the receptionist to a room covered in light pink with massage tables. "Your package includes a massage first, a facial, then onto a mani-pedi, is that correct Mrs. Blake?"

"Yes," Natasha nodded setting Hailey down on the massage table.

"Robes are on that area, please feel free to use which you want. There are locks on the lockers for you to use. If you need anything, please let me know. Your masseuse should be here in about two minutes."

Within five hours, the two were walking out of the spa with great smiles on their faces. Natasha had Hailey propped on her hip as they walked a block to get into the car that drove the Avengers wherever they pleased.

Natasha looked to the side at Hailey with a smile. "Did you have fun today, Haile?"

"Uhu!" Hailey said with a smile. "But Momma, I's a little hungry."

"Oh are you now?"

"Uhu!"

"Well, what do you say to a quick lunch," Natasha paused for effect. "Then we can do some shopping?"

"Yes!" Hailey squealed with her hands raised up.

Natasha leaned up to the console to talk to the driver about driving them to Central Park where they were going to have late lunch. The driver complied leaving Natasha and Hailey in Central Park where the two got into a horse-drawn carriage making Hailey smile happily up at Natasha.

"I's like a princess."

"You are a princess, darling," Natasha replied dropping kiss on her blonde hair. The carriage stopped at a circle where there were tables set up. "Ready for you tea party, princess?"

All across the fields were tables set up for a tea party. The theme was in pinks and purples. Hailey nodded her head proudly, but glanced down at her clothing then pouted. Natasha noticed the pout and frowned lifting the girl's face gently.

"What's wrong darling?"

"Momma, I's not dressed for a tea party right now."

"Well, neither am I," Natasha said with a smile. She nodded over to the right of them where there were rows of dresses and an RV which doubled as a portable restroom/dressing room.

"Yous gonna dress up with me, too, Momma?"

"Of course!"

The two hopped out of the carriage and to the direction of the dresses. They were for sale for those who wanted to attend the tea party at the spur of the moment but money has never been an object to Natasha. As a single woman whose profession required a certain skill set that she only had, she was paid generously both by SHIELD and when she was doing freelancing before a certain archer saved her.

"You pick whatever dress you want, alright Haile?" Natasha motioned to the racks of dresses for children. Hailey nodded enthusiastically dragging the older woman by her hand. They searched through the racks until Hailey finally found a simple sun dress in lilac which she loved. Natasha loved when Hailey tried to pull it off the rack seeing the color. "You are your father's daughter."

Hailey frowned at her not understanding. "I's daddy's daw-ter, yup?"

Natasha laughed and ruffled her hair a bit taking her to the accessories part and letting her pick a fake string of pearls to put around her neck and a tiara. She grabbed a simple white sun dress from the rack and went to the vendor to pay for the goods before heading to the dressing room to change, never letting go of Hailey's hand.

The two emerged from the restroom with a smile ushered to seats on the side for tea along with other little girls and their mothers, aunts, or nannies, Natasha could never tell. Hailey seemed to be blossoming in the sunlight as she made friends with the girls who sat there giggling and comparing their hairs, dresses, and accessories like she should. Natasha scanned the surroundings every so often, ensuring that Hailey was safe.

Natasha was glad that Hailey could be so carefree. She watched as the little girl socialized with girls her age, a rarity for a little girl locked away in a tower full of superheroes and spies who were more than neurotic about her safety. At that moment, Natasha vowed that she would take out the girl more to talk to people of her age. She didn't deserve being locked away when none of them being superheroes or spies was her fault. Natasha knew for sure that the little girl deserved the best childhood that the world had to offer and she would be part of making sure that Hailey wanted for nothing. Not a spoiled brat as she had seen a lot of little kids turn into, but a happy girl who would look back on her childhood years with a smile of her face.

True, Hailey had to go through the motions that she and Clint did with fake identities whenever they left the Tower, but at her young age, Hailey saw nothing of getting called a different alias as long as she was able to leave the tower and have fun. She was a happy child. 

It was more than she can say about her childhood, Clint's childhood, and the past of anyone in the Tower. Save maybe Pepper who had a strong background, and she turned out to be one of the most successful women in the world.

The day dwindled down, and the crowd started thinning out. Natasha tapped Hailey who was in deep conversation with another girl about what seem dot be their teddy bear collection. Hailey was currently explaining her Mister-Director-Fury bear to the other girl who looked at her oddly. Natasha made note to talk to Hailey about what she could and couldn't tell people about her life. Hailey has fully accepted to tell strangers that her name was Hannah Blake, and fabricated stories that she and Clint ensured Hailey memorized to keep her identity a secret; to keep her safe.

"You ready to go shopping?" Natasha asked turning to Hailey with a smile on her face. Hailey pouted a little but nodded her head. "You can say goodbye to your friends first."

She watched as Hailey talked to her friends explaining that her and her mother would have to go because they were going to go out shopping for their mother-daughter-date. Natasha felt someone tap her shoulder and it took all of her control for her not to flip whoever that was that did so. She tensed her body ready to fight as she turned around face to face with another woman who smiled at her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Just wanted to give you our contact information in case Hannah wanted to set up a play date with Jessica," the woman said with a smile handing Natasha a business card.

Natasha grabbed the card and put ona smile for the woman. "Thank you, I'll be sure to call and schedule a play date. They seemed to get along well."

"That they did, I'm Aliana Parker, Jessica's mother."

"Natalie Blake, Hannah's mom," Natasha said shaking the other woman's hand with a smile. "It was nice to meet you but Hannah and I have a shopping appointment."

"Oh of course," Aliana stated smiling at Natasha, giving Natasha a tinge. She figured it was just another one of those Fifth-Avenue mothers who were famous for not working, nor taking care of their children.

Hailey bounced back to Natasha with a smile. "I's ready now."

Natasha smiled down at the girl holding her hand as they went back to change into the clothes they came to the party in. She and Hailey changed quickly and walked out of the changing room hand in hand as they walked out of Central Park and to the streets where shops lined every corner.

"Momma, what's is Bur-berries?" Hailey asked looking up at the large sing in front of the store they were walking into. Natasha smiled at the girl with a laugh nodding over to the man in the black suit who was standing off to the side with a smile on his face as well entertained.

"Hello, may I help you?" A well-dressed woman asked approaching Natasha and Hailey.

"Well yes, you may," Natasha smiled at the woman giving Hailey's sizes and outfitting her with a new coat.

The same pattern went on for different stores until Natasha's phone rang signaling a text message. She kept one eye out on Hailey who was twirling around in front of the mirror in her new dress as she read the message.

 _Clint_ :  _You girls almost done? On my way to the diner._

Natasha smiled typing up a response.  _On our way_.

She turned to her attention back to Hailey motioning th worker who was standing on the side. "We'll take the dresses. Ring them up."

Natasha handed the man a credit card under the name Natalie Blake and took Hailey's hand. "Would you like to wear that to the diner for dinner?"

Hailey shook her head. "No Momma, 'is not diner dress. 'is princess dress."

"You're right," Natasha smiled at her. "So go change, your papa's waiting for us."

"Papa's at diner?" the blonde asked happily clapping her hands. "I change! I change!"

Within thirty minutes, the car was rounding the corner of the diner and Natasha and Hailey were getting out as Clint walked towards them in his leather jacket and jeans looking as causal as he could. He greeted Hailey by picking her up and twirling her in the air, setting her on his hip.

"Did you have a good time with Natasha today, Haile?"

"Tons of fun!" Hailey exclaimed as they walked into the diner. They were seated immediately at a corner booth at the back, looking at the rest of the restaurant. It was their booth, the one they always requested because Clint and Natasha always had to have a good vantage point of all the patrons coming in and out, and all the exit points.

The three continued to order their usual food, milkshakes, burgers and fries and Hailey recounted her day with Natasha with enthusiasm, and her often her mouth full of food. Clint laid back watching the two girls who were sat next to each other with a smile on his face. Once the food was done, Clint nodded over to the waiter who brought over a large Neapolitan banana split.

Hailey looked over to Clint then to Natasha, and back to Clint again.

"Best day ever!" Hailey exclaimed taking a spoon and digging into the ice cream causing the two adults to laugh.


	11. The Proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 11 - The Proposal

Tony was staring intently at the ring that he had bought for Pepper what seemed like months ago, and with the changes in his life, the way that he couldn’t sleep and when he basically disappeared, he forgot all about the ring. It wasn’t until he was moving some of the things into Stark Tower since the house at Malibu was blown up that he remember it was even there. 

Out of everything he learned from the incident with the Mandarin, it was that Pepper was the most important thing in his life. Iron Man suit or not — arc reactor or not, it was Pepper who kept him alive and want to be alive. 

“Hey J,” Tony called out to the AI getting a brilliant idea. 

“Sir?” Jarvis replied promptly. Since the incident where Jarvis was on sleep mode, he has tried to make it up to Tony by responding as quickly as he could. 

“Call down Miss Iron-Black-Hawk-Girl,” Tony smirked using Hailey’s nickname. “Tell her that Iron Man needs a side kick.”

“Right away sir,” Jarvis stated. 

Tony looked over at the suit that he constructed for Hailey sitting at the corner of the room. The suit he constructed specifically for Pepper so that she would be protected at all times. The little girl who warmed his heart, Hailey, was another person who he wanted protected at all times. 

He had the perfect plan to ask Pepper to marry him. Which he knew was basically a formality because she would say yes… The woman was head over-Louboutin- heels in love with him. A formality that he would have to do because he wanted to do at least one thing right by her, and his idea was perfectly him. 

“Mister Iron-Man?” Hailey’s voice pipped through the door. 

Tony looked over at her. “Hail’s-bells!”

“I hears you needs a sy-kick, Mister Iron-Man,” Hailey said coming closer to him and grinning. She eyed her suit at the corner of the room antsy to put it on. 

“I do, are you up for it?”

“Uhu! Wha-s the mission?”

Tony looked at her for a moment with a grin. She sounded so much like Romanoff it was almost uncanny. It must be the amount of time the little girl has started spending time with the red-headed assassin. He’s noticed the gymnastics lessons, Russian lessons, the increased girls day out. Hailey may not be biologically Romanoff’s kid but she certainly was in every other sense that counted. 

“You remember the ring I got Pepper?”

“Uhu, Mama Tasha says it so beautiful,” Hailey stated. “Miss Potts says its cozza you trying to gets outta trouble.”

“Trying to — “ Tony scoffed. He shook his head, “Wait.. what? Pepper knows what it looks like?”

“Mister Iron-Man, you’s not a very good hider. Yous needs to get lessons from daddy.”

“What’s your daddy hiding?” Tony asked curiously.

“I not know, he’s a good hider,” Hailey replied in a tone of voice that meant “duh.”

“Right,” Tony sighed. “Well here’s the plan you…”

Three Days Later

Tony and Hailey were in the lab, Hailey in the suit with a lot of Dummies around her to make sure she’s safe as she did flight tests. 

Pepper walked into the lab an angry look on her face. Well not angry, downright pissed off. 

“Anthony Edward Stark!” Pepper shouted as she stomped into the lab. Her face was red with anger, glaring at Stark. 

“Jarvis land Miss Morse down on the ground,” Tony said quickly turning his attention to Pepper. “I can explain.”

“Explain?!” Pepper yelled at him. “I thought after the whole Mandarin you were done with this! Done with the suits, done with playing superhero, done with SHIELD…”

“Pepper…”

“No!”

The commotion from Tony’s lab on the top floor got the attention of Natasha who was wandering around the terrace for some air. She got into the lab and stood there as Pepper grilled into Tony before realizing that Hailey was in a purple replica of the Iron Man suit. 

She took a step towards Hailey who signed to her “no.” 

Natasha frowned at the small girl who got out of the suit and pulled the velvet ring box from her pocket. Natasha nodded her head and stood on the side. Hailey knew what she was doing. 

“Do you know what could happen to her if something went wrong to your testing? If Clint knew you outfitted his daughter with a suit — if Natasha knew?!”

“Pep, I just… I want her to be protected,” Tony muttered with a sigh. 

Pepper’s anger deflated a little from seeing Tony look so dejected. Hailey took it as her cue to walk closer to Pepper. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the Avengers, who at Jarvis’ prompting walked to the lab and were standing outside watching the whole thing unfold. At first Thor wanted to come in and defend the honor of his friend to Pepper understanding the need to protect the young girl but Natasha shook her head at him. 

“It’s all in his plan.”

“What plan?” Clint asked her speaking up with a frown. It seemed as though between him, Natasha, and Hailey he was the only one out of the loop and he never liked it when the two girls knew something he didn’t. It usually ended badly for him, i.e. the one time that Natasha snuck up on him and he woke up in a Cupid’s outfit for Valentine’s Day. 

“He’s proposing,” Natasha replied never taking her eyes off the scene. The men in the same room nodded their head and watched the scene in front of them. 

Hailey walked up to Pepper with a pout on her face. 

“Please don’t be angry-s at Mister Iron-Man, Miss Pepper Potts,” Hailey pleaded with her puppy dog eyes. She tugged on her perfectly tailored pencil skirt to get her attention. Pepper looked down at her seeing her pout, her anger defaulting a little more at the sight. She looked up at Tony and glared at him knowing somehow he put the innocent little girl up to this. “Is ask-sed if he can teaches me to fly.”

“She’s right, she asked me,” Tony agreed with the little girl. 

“Yes, Hailey,” Pepper said stroking the girls blonde hair while looking straight at Tony with a glare. “But he should have known better than to humor you, what would your parents think if they saw this?”

“That it’s fucking awesome,” Clint muttered under his breath earning him a swift nudge from Natasha. 

Hailey shook her head at Pepper. “Is not his fault, please say yous not mad?”

At that moment, Hailey pulled out the black box and handed it to Pepper who took the case with a frown on her face. Hailey stepped back with a smile and tilted her head over to Tony who got down on one knee. 

“Pep… Virginia Potts,” Tony started as Pepper gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Tony…”

“I love you, you know? I thought for a long time that it’s the reactor that was keeping me alive. But it wasn’t, and I know that now,” Tony said tapping on his chest, sans reactor. “It’s been you. You’ve been through a lot with me, for me, and because of me, and I plan on making it up to you for the rest of my life… if you’d let me?”

Pepper looked at him, straightening her back and opened her mouth to say something. Tony got a nervous at her reaction and held his breath. She mouthed something to him but words were failing to come out of her mouth. 

“Pep, I can’t hear you.”

“Ask me.”

Tony frowned. “Ask you?”

“Ask me.”

“Ask her to marry you, dumb ass,” Natasha muttered. 

“Is that a super power women have?” Steve muttered back. 

“What?” Clint whispered back.

“Telepathic communication.”

“Yes,” Natasha replied, shushing them afterwards so that they would shut up. 

“I don’t get it.”

“Ask me, Tony.”

Tony, the genius that he was finally got it. “Virginia Potts, Will you do the honor of being my wife?”

Pepper grinned happily throwing her arms around Tony. “Yes!”


	12. New Boyfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please don't hate me for this chapter.

Chapter 12 - The New Boyfriend

 

Natasha fidgeted at her shirt while holding Hailey’s hand tight in the other. Today was the day she agreed to have Nate meet Hailey. Nate, a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and a set up by Pepper was her boyfriend. If one could call him that. It was a nice change of pace to have someone know who she was but still accept her, of course he didn’t know everything, just the generalities but that was alright too. His schedule was just as busy as hers, sometimes busier so they got together when they were both in New York City and it has worked out for her for a while. 

Sometimes she imagines herself happy with Nate. But Clint was always at the back of her mind. 

“Mama, who we seeing?” Hailey asked Natasha. The older woman was very vague when speaking to her father about meeting a friend of hers whom she wanted to introduce Hailey to. Clint agreed, seeing as it was Natasha’s first day back from a solo-op and knew spending time with Hailey would be good for her. 

“A friend of mine,” Natasha told the little girl scanning the patio of the restaurant that she and Nate agreed to meet up for brunch. 

“Nat!” a man’s voice echoed through the crowd causing both Natasha and Hailey to turn around. Natasha spotted Nate with a smile, as Hailey looked up at her with a frown.

“Mama, who that?” Hailey asked her, tugging on her hand as they walked a few steps to where the man was sitting in a four person table by himself. 

Natasha smiled as Nate leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek then looked down at Hailey expectedly. 

“Hello, you must be Hailey, I’m Nate, Nat’s friend” Nate said, extending his hand out to the small girl. 

Hailey looked at the man’s hand, then his face with a frown. “Yous a stranger, Is not supposed to talk to strangers.”

“Hailey, this is my friend Nate,” Natasha introduced them. Hailey still stood there looking at Nate fro a moment, sizing him up, using what her dad calls “hawk-eyes” to determine if this man is good, if he could be trusted. Natasha looked at Hailey and nodded her head to the direction of Nate with a smile, silently urging her on. 

“Is Hailey,” she said taking the man’s hand and shaking it with her smaller one. 

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you Ms. Hailey,” he said pulling out Natasha’s chair and Hailey’s chair for them both to sit down before going to his side of the table, taking a seat in front of Natasha. 

The waiter came up to them and handed them out menus as Nate continued to talk to Hailey and Natasha knowing how important it was that he get along with the girl who Natasha considered as her own. 

“What is your favorite color, Hailey?”

“Is changes,” Hailey admitted, not looking up as she colored the children’s menu. “I likes purple a lots of the time.” 

“Well I can’t say that’s my favorite color,” Nate smiled at her then at Natasha with a smile. 

The two adults turned to conversation with one another as Hailey busied herself by coloring the book. When the waiter returned to take their orders, Hailey looked at Natasha expectantly. 

“Yes, Hail?” Natasha asked her with a smile, then looking back up at Nate who was smiling at the little girl as well. 

“Can-May I has the macaroni and cheese?” Hailey asked Natasha for permission. Natasha nodded her head and motioned to the waiter to give Hailey the daughter. 

Natasha and Nate ordered their food with a smile. 

“So…” Nate started awkardly looking at Natasha then at Hailey. 

Hailey looked up at him giving him a ridiculous look for interrupting her coloring earning a chuckle from Natasha. 

“She doesn’t like to be bothered when she’s coloring,” Natasha filled him in with a chuckle. 

“Thanks for the warning,” Nate replied with a smile shaking his head and watching the little girl, her tongue out as she tried her best to color in the lines. He then looked at Natasha with a smile. “I see why you love her.”

Natasha smiled at him wistfully. “Yes, she’s a great girl. I’m lucky she’s letting me be a part of her life.”

Nate reached over and placed his hand over Natasha’s, squeezing it briefly before letting it go knowing how she wanted to ply their relationship for Hailey before she told the younger girl. He understood where she was coming from, his parents were divorced and anyone who went near his mother was an enemy. He hoped Hailey wouldn’t think of him as such seeing as Natasha had told him how important the young girl was in her life. 

The food came quickly, and Natasha tapped Hailey on the side. “That’s enough coloring for now, sweetheart.”

Hailey nodded her head giving Natasha her menu and colors. She pushed them aside to make room for the food that they ordered and they ate in silence. 

“So, Hailey,” Nate said ensuring that the little girl was not doing anything anymore. 

“Uhu?”

“I have an idea,” Nate replied with a smile. “You want to hear it?”

Natasha looked at him, eyebrow raised.

“Wha’s yous idea?”

Nate looked at Natasha. “Would you,” he switched, looking at Hailey. “like to go to FAO Schwartz today with me?”

Hailey’s eyes widened and she looked at Natasha with her puppy dog eyes. 

Nate shifted his attention to Natasha who shook her head in response. “Nate, Clint doesn’t allow her to go there… to many… security issues.”

Nate nodded his head and looked at Hailey apologetically. “I’m sorry Miss Morse, your mom has said her piece.”

“Mama?” Hailey asked looking up at Natasha with a puppy dog frown on her face again. “Please?”

“Your dad says no,” Natasha said. “It’s one of your places not to go to, Hailey. I can’t change that.”

Nate looked at her, “Wait, I have another idea.”

Natasha rolled her eyes with a smile then looked at her. “Spit it out, Nathaniel.”

“What if I rent out FAO?” he asked with a brilliant smile. Natasha rolled her eyes at him once again. 

“That’s not possible.”

“It is,” Nate replied taking out his phone. “You call Clint and ask him if it’s alright she goes there if there’s nobody else there, if we rent the place out, and I can make it happen.”

“Nathaniel,” Natasha sighed shaking her head.

“Call daddy, please mama?” Hailey asked her. 

Natasha shook her head taking out her phone as the two people in her life gave her pout faces. She dialed Clint’s number keeping eye contact with Nate a she waited for Clint to pick up. 

“Hey, yes everything’s okay,” Natasha paused looking at Hailey with a smile. “She’s alright, no I had a question…”

Hailey and Nate looked at her expectantly. 

“Nate suggested that we take Hailey to FAO — no now, hear me out first. Nate wants to rent the place out — what? No we’re, that means… Hold on.”

Natasha looked over to Nate. “Clint wants to know if he can come, bring some security along.”

Nate nodded his head. 

Natasha turned back to the phone. “It should be fine. Yes, we’ll meet you there in…”

“Four hours,” Nate mouthed to her holding up four fingers, then winking over at Hailey. 

“Four hours. Yes… No, just call me when you get there.”

Natasha hung up the phone and looked over at Nate nodding her head. 

“YAY!”Hailey squealed in delight. “Thank you Mister Nathaniel!”

“Nate, call me Nate, Miss Morse,” Nate said winking at Hailey. 

“What would you guys like to do for the next four hours?” Natasha asked with a smile on her face.

“Would you like to go to the museums?” Nate proposed knowing that Natasha loved going to museums. She loved sitting in the middle of the Met and just watching people as they watched history. The way that people react to history tells a lot about their personalities and Natasha loved it. Nate had been privy to her sitting there and watching people, but instead of watching people, he watched her. 

“Mama, cans we goes to Mat?”

“The Met?” Natasha asked Hailey with a smile on her face. 

“Thas what I say mama! Mat,” Hailey said grinning at her. 

“What do you say, Nat?” Nate asked her with a smile. “You wanna go to the Met?”

Natasha smiled at Nate, “I always want to go to the Met.”

Four hours later, Natasha and Nate, with a tight hand on Hailey’s walked up to FAO Schwartz. He walked into the place stopped by the guard outside.”

“I’m sorry sir, you cannot come inside. We are closed for a private party,” he stated. 

“Actually, can you call Mister Smith out here, I rented the place.”

The guard nodded his head and walked inside the store. Natasha and Hailey tailed with him as they walked in the store. 

“Going in without me,” Clint’s voice echoed behind both of them. Natasha stopped and smiled, as Hailey froze and turned around running to her dad. 

“Daddy! I finally gets to go into Shar-ts,” Hailey said tugging on his hand. 

Nate came back walking up to Natasha with a smile, followed by a man in a suit. Nate turned to Clint a hand out. 

“Nathaniel Bradshaw, you must be Clint?”

Clint nodded his head, shaking Nathaniel’s hand, then looking over at Natasha with a curious look on his face. “Nice to meet you, man. Thanks for doing this for Hail.”

“Not a problem,” Nate replied with a smile. Then he turned over to the man in the suit behind him. “This is Mister Smith, he’s the manager of FAO. You let him know whatever you want and you have it.”

Hailey dragged lint over to the second floor pointing over at the stuffed animals, the giant giraffe which she wanted in her room. 

Natasha and Nate followed behind them, Natasha’s arms wrapped around Nate’s middle, her head resting on his shoulders. Clint glanced back to thank Natasha when he saw how she was cuddle up to the other man’s side. Instead of speaking, het urned around and tightened his hold on Hailey’s hand focusing his attention to the little girl and not at the tug in his heart. 

This was his choice, he was the one who told her that it wasn’t working with them and it was obvious to him now that she didn’t need him. The first time they were together, she was never affectionate — actually forbade him for holding her hand in public. And the second time he was too mindful of his actions with Hailey around that he and Natasha were never openly affectionate around people. But seeing her cuddled up on the side of a man who wasn’t him was enough for him to convince himself that it was because at the end of the day, he was never going to be what she is to him.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Missions and Tea Parties

Clint and Natasha were called out on a mission, a rarity since they made a deal with Fury that they didn’t want Hailey to be alone. 

They made a deal with the Avengers, more specifically Bruce and Steve to watch Hailey for them because trusting Tony and Thor with Hailey was asking for trouble. The two men agreed to take turns watching the little girl.

That was how the four grown men ended up sitting cramped in a princess tea set with Hailey serving tea and cookies courtesy of Bruce who helped her put icing on the cookies because he found it calming. 

“‘Nother cookie Director-Mister-Fury-Pirate-Bear?” Hailey asked the stuffed animal of Director Fury with a full plate of cookies in her hand. 

“I’ll take another cookie,” Tony said, a cookie in his mouth and none on his place. 

“I also will, Warrior Hailey,” Thor pipped up. 

Hailey nodded with a smile of her face bouncing over to Tony and Thor serving Thor a cookie first. 

“‘Nother cookie Mister Thund-Thor?” Hailey asked him with a smile. 

“Hey! I asked you first! That’s not fair,” Tony protested. 

“Yous the best for last Mister Iron-Man-Stark,” Hailey reasoned with him showing him the plate of cookies for him to get one. 

Tony smiled at the rest of the Avengers triumphantly. “You hear that? I’m her favorite.”

“Nuh uh,” Hailey protested shaking her head. “Yous all my favorites for dif-rant reason.”

Hailey sat down on her special princess chair at the head of her tea set table and started to munch on her cookie. Tony and Bruce were talking about science, Steve was busy with his sketch pad and Thor was trying to figure out what the good thing about plusher stuffed animals were. 

“‘Scuse me,” Hailey said clearing her throat and trying to get their attention. “‘Scuse me!”

“Yes, Hailey?” Steve asked her with a smile looking up from his sketches. 

“I calls this meeting to oh-der,” Hailey stated like she heard Fury do a million times. Once she had the attention of the other Avengers, she nodded her head. 

“I has a mission for evey-body.”

“What’s this mission?” Steve asked her in a professional tone as he would wen partnered with Natasha. The little girl commanded the same respect as the feared Red Headed assassin. 

Meanwhile, Natasha and Clint were in an undisclosed location for a week. They have gathered enough intelligence to strike the next day and were prepping their weapons for the attack. 

“You think Hail’s okay?” Clint asked Natasha as they cleared their weapons — a routine which they were used to doing on missions to calm them down and give them something to do. 

“I’m sure she’s fine Clint,” Natasha rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah, but she’s with Tony,” Clint whined. 

“You’ve never been this antsy since the first time you left her, and that was with Bobbi.”

“I just… she’s the only thing I have, you know?”

Natasha nodded her head. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

“What are you talking about, you have whats-his-name.”

“Nate?”

“Yeah, him.”

“You know,” Natasha paused looking at him with a critical eye. “You’re usually good with names.”

“What are you trying to say, Natasha?”

She shrugged, going back to putting her gun together. 

Clint sighed putting his weapon down. “What are you trying to say?”

“Nothing,” Natasha dismissed it hoping that he would drop it. Clearly they were not going to be having the conversation. The one that they should have so that maybe, just maybe, she can finally move on.

“What do you want me to say, Natasha? That I’m jealous? Is that what you want me to say?” Clint asked her trying not to raise his voice. 

“I don’t want you to say anything Clint,” Natasha replied standing up and getting away from him to the living room few feet away. “There’s nothing to say anymore.”

“Good, I’m glad we at least agree on something.”

Natasha sighed and rubbed her temples. “Thank you, for letting me be with Hailey and still be a mentor to her.”

“She loves you,” Clint replied. A statement true-er than if he said the sun was shinning in the morning. 

“I know, and I, her.”

“That’s all I ask.”

“Good, because that’s all I can give,” Natasha whispered. “I’m going to bed. You ready for tomorrow Hawkeye.”

“Ready, Widow.”

Clint watched Natasha’s retreating form go into the attached bedroom. He settled on the couch where he had been sleeping the whole mission. He heard Natasha close the door and lock it. 

Maybe Clint was reading too much into it, but even back when she started at SHIELD Natasha never locked him out. Not even when he married Bobbi and the two of them were sent out on missions as partners. 

So what was the difference now? He didn’t really want to overtly analyze it. They had a mission to do. 

Hailey looked at the Avengers expectantly. “Soo? Are yous gonna helps me? Please?”

The Avengers looked at one another. The task that Hailey had was so large, larger than she imagined it to be in her head full of imagination. She wanted their help to get her Daddy to be happy, for a happy family. In her mind, she reasoned that deep down, her mama Tasha and Daddy were meant to be together.

And while most of the people around the table, Director-Mister-Pirate-Fury-Bear included felt that the two assassins were meant to be together — maybe they weren’t. Steve didn’t want to be meddling in the affairs of others but the pleas of the little girl were too much. 

He remembered loosing his father. Then his mother, and having no parents when he was growing up. This little girl deserved better. 

“We’ll help,” Steve told Hailey looking at the nodding head of the others for confirmation. The rest of them nodded their head, they can’t say no to the little girl either.

For a moment, the table fell silent, expect for the loud munching noises of Thor eating a cookie before Tony pipped up. 

“Disneyland!” Tony exclaimed. 

The rest of the Avengers looked at him confused. “What about this land of Disney?”

“Pepper has always wanted to go and get married under the princess castle,” Tony reasoned. “It’s something she’s wanted since she was a girl and I told her she could have whatever wedding she wanted. She was planning on going to check it out… We can go.”

“What does this land of Disney have to do with The Widow and the Hawk?” Thor asked him confused thinking they were still on the same subject of tinkling about a ay to get the two assassins to realize their love for one another. 

Tony scoffed, then sighed. “Disneyland is a magical place, Thor.”

“Magical?” Thor said confused. “It has the magic of Asgard? We are not aware of this on our study of Midguard.”

“What he means, Thor,” Bruce stepped in seeing Tony’s frustrations. “Is that when you’re in Disneyland, magical things happen, you feel like a child again and it’s a happy place. He thinks it will help with Natasha and Clint.”

“Ahh,” Thor said sitting back down relaxing munching on a cookie once again. “Then we shall go to this magical place and help the cause of this mighty warrior.”

“Let me call Pepper,” Tony said excitedly dialing on his Stark phone.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how you guys feel :)

Chapter 14

Telling Clint and Natasha after their mission that they were going to Disneyland was easy, the rest of the Avengers were packed and ready for the trip. 

“How long should I pack for?” Natasha asked Pepper who was voted by the other Avengers to tell the two assassins that they were all going on a vacation. 

“Three days, I’ ve already cleared your off time with Fury,” Pepper stated with a smile, she was commanding even in her blue jeans. 

“It’s lucky none of us has a regular nine to five,” Clint muttered. It was Wednesday and they were all just going to go off to Malibu on a whim, of who he expected was his daughter who had been begging to go to Disneyland for a while. 

“And the CEO of her own company,” Pepper added. “Thank you for going with me to check out this venue.”

Natasha and Clint nodded their heads in affirmation as they continued to pack. They were both ready within five minutes, Natasha with a suitcase and Clint with a duffle. They walked to the living room to find all the Avengers, along with Happy and Rhodes waiting for them. 

“Finally!” Rhodes commented with a sigh. “You sure you were in the army, Barton? Sure as hell pack slow for a grunt.”

“We going on a five star resort for this Zoomie who can’t handle real dirt?” Clint responded in good kind to Tony causing Rhodes to laugh.

“Hey cut out the rivalry, we have a flight to catch,” Pepper ordered them ushering them all to the spacious elevator. Even with Thor and their luggage, they all fit in the elevator, Hailey perched on Clint’s hip as Natasha talked to her about what she did while they were away. 

They all piled themselves into the limo as Happy drove them to the private airport where Pepper’s private jet was parked waiting to take them to LA. 

The private jet was spacious enough for all the Avengers to have their own seats, a bar, entertainment studio — because Stark Industries can. 

“Mama, Daddy, yous both sit next to me,” Hailey called out to them as she claimed a giant seat that a regular business man would kill for. 

Clint and Natasha shrugged claiming seats next to Hailey. A stewardess came up to them with a smile. “Can I get you folks anything?”

“Mai tai,” Natasha smiled at the stewardess. 

“OJ, pwease.”

“I’ll have scotch, on the rocks,” Clint smiled at the waitress. 

The waitress fumbled around her cart producing all of the drinks, blending Natasha’s drink as they she poured Clint and Haileys. 

She passed them all the drinks with a smile and moved onto where Steve and Bruce were playing with the Wii. 

“Mama,” Hailey spoke through the straw in her mouth. 

Natasha put down the mai tai she was sipping and turned her attention to Hailey. “Yes baby?”

“Yous gonna dress up like me like princess?” Hailey asked her, her eyes looking up hopefully at Natasha. Natasha met Clint’s gaze over his glass of scotch. 

“I uh…”

“Peas mama? You be queen and I’s the princess!”

“I don’t think they’ll have the princess dresses in my size,” Natasha protested throwing a brief glare at Clint who she knew was enjoying this conversation.

“Miss Potts-Stark gets you one.”

“I — Well I —“

“Peas mama? Peas peas peas?”

At this point Clint was chuckling as he sipped on his scotch. Imagining Natasha in a princess dress would be awesome, for him. He was sure to learn how to use his phone and take pictures of it when the time came. 

Natasha sighed coming up with a quick plan. “Only if your daddy dresses up too.”

Hailey gasped at the new idea. “Daddy gonna be king and you gonna be queen, and I’s be princess!”

The little girl squealed with excitement clapping her hands. 

Clint looked at Natasha, his eyes building out while she smirked at him. 

Hailey looked over at Natasha then over at Clint with puppy dog eyes. “Daddy? Please?”

And that is how Natasha and Clint ended up at Disneyland at 0700, Natasha in a makeshift Ariel costume T-shirt, her hair down, while Clint propped a hat on his head claiming he was the undercover king with the commoners. Hailey went all out, she had her light up princess sneakers, Cinderella dress, hair flowing with a princess tiara to top off the picture. 

The park was still closed, but with Pepper Potts (soon to be Stark) had rented them a couple of hours at the park, for free because the corporation was trying to buy the rights of the Avengers from Stark who at the moment owned it. They wanted to make a superhero movie and therefore the whole experience at Disneyland would be paid for by the company. 

The Avengers walked into Disneyland first, California Adventures would stay open for them so that they can have the par to themselves. 

“Now Ms. Potts,” the manager said walking them into the gates of Disneyland. “You will have two hours throughout this park yourself. All rides are operational, and all the food are as well. You have dinner reservations at the restaurant within the Pirates ride at 7pm, all expenses paid… Is that okay or should we change it?”

“That’s fine,” Pepper replied to the manager and nodded her head. “Now if you don’t mind. We are going to enjoy the park.”

“Yes of course!” The manager smiled at her. He pulled out buttons from his picked that said ‘First Visit’ and ‘Keys to the Magic.’ “Now who would like buttons?”

Moments later, the Avengers walked into the park itself, their first ride to be the rain that would basically give them a tour of the park.

They walked to the railway and met the conductor, an older man with all gray hair and a smile on his face. 

“Hello! And welcome to Disneyland!”

He crouched down to Hailey’s size upon seeing her. “Hello there Princess. Would you like to ring today’s first bell?”

Hailey’s eyes widened excited. She looked up to her dad and then her mom for approval. Natasha and Clint looked at each other silently communicating, both squeezing Hailey’s hand and letting it go to let her run to the conductor. Hailey led and the Avengers followed. 

That was basically how the morning went with Hailey leading them around and the Avengers following. Everywhere, literally as they walked around the first to hours of the park unattended, they were able to go to the rides that were usually packed without the lines and getting all the memento pictures. 

They walked through the Indiana Jones ride, Hailey perched on Natasha’s hip.

“Mama,” Hailey said clutching her mother as they watched the preview about not looking at the eye of the beholder.

Natasha tightened her arm around Hailey nudging Clint with his shoulder. 

“Everything okay?” Clint asked bending down to whisper into Natasha’s ear. He wrapped and arm around her shoulders to pull her closer to him while the rest of the Avengers watched the preview of the ride. 

“Mama, po-tect me pease,” Hailey whispered to her scared of the dark light and of the story that they were watching in front of them. 

Natasha gave the little girl a peck on the cheek. “Your daddy and would never let anything happen to you baby.”

“Dont’s lemme look in the eye of the evil, okay?”

“Pinky promise.”

Hailey nodded with a smile letting her head fall on Natasha’s shoulder, the one that her father didn’t occupy. 

By the time they knew it, the day was winding down. The only people who didn’t seem to be tired from all the walking, the heat, and the excitement were Thor, Steve, and Hailey. The SHIELD agents who Pepper borrowed from Nick Fury to ensure that the assasins and their daughter were okay were just as tired in their sneakers as they ate an ice cream cone. 

As soon as the park opened, the trio along with several SHIELD agents broke away from the Avengers. They didn’t want to be seen with the high –profile super heroes especially because they wanted to keep Hailey safe. The rest of the Avengers understood but they all still met up for the dinner and then at the almost private barricade to get the best seats in the house for fireworks.

Natasha, Clint, and Hailey snuck in front of the Avengers about five minutes before the fireworks were starting. Hailey was now on perched on Clint’s hip munching on a Disney themed caramel apple, Natasha had a hat on her head with a crown and the word “mama” on her hat, and Clint was wearing his own set of ear-donned hat with “daddy” written on it. On top of Hailey’s head was a hat that matched Natasha’s with the word “baby.” 

Pepper felt a tug on her heart with sadness knowing that that was the closest the three could be to a family. They would never be able to have something as simple as their names engraved on their hats because of security measures. At that moment, Pepper promised herself that her children would live as close to as normal as she and Tony could let them. At the same time, she vowed that she would help Clint, Natasha, and Hailey get a better life. A happier one. 

“About time you showed up,” Tony said rolling his eyes at the three. Pepper punched him on the shoulder to show her dislike of his attitude and turned her attention to Hailey. 

“Did you have fun today?”

“LOADS!” Hailey exclaimed pieces of her green apple falling out of her mouth. 

“What have I said about talking with your mouth full?” Natasha whispered to her. 

“Sowwy mama,” Hailey muttered making sure she swallowed all the pieces of her food before replying to her mother. 

“What did you get up to?” 

“Hey! Enough with the chatter, their fireworks display is dedicated to… moi!” Tony stated. 

Once the fireworks started, the Avengers fell into a dull silence as the sky was filled with colors making Hailey gasp with excitement and surprise. 

Hailey looked over to her mama and daddy. Her mama was leaning on her dad’s other arm. She was perched on his shoulder, so she received full view of what was going on. She saw the way that her mother’s hand slipped into her dad’s and the way her mother leaned in more to her father. 

Hailey stopped watching the fireworks and just watched her mother and father moved. Similar to the ways that she used to watch them move from the couch as they fiddled around in the kitchen and dinning room to prepare for a meal. 

Natasha leaned into Clint and he pulled her in kissing her forehead. She looked up at him with a soft smile on her face and leaned in to plant a kiss on his lips. 

Hailey looked out to the fireworks on her perch from her dad’s shoulders a huge smile on her face. 

This was defiantly the happiest place in all the universe.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 - Beach Day

Since Tony’s Malibu mansion was destroyed by the Mandarin, and the work that Pepper did in California never stopped, it was only logical that the two buy another home in California. The home this time was less ostentatious as the first, per Pepper’s request, coupled with a private beach at the coast of Malibu, bordering the Santa Monica Pier. 

Pepper who owned 88 percent of the property had rooms built for all the Avengers. She kept the old beach house architectural style that the house originally came in trumping Tony’s attempts to modernize the house since it was technically her house. 88 percent, hers. She allowed Tony to install Jarvis and a sophisticated set of security systems but there was no way she was letting him build another lab in her house that would explode. Seven floors dedicated to R&D at the Avengers tower would be enough for Tony. (Tony did have a lab on the lower floors which Pepper didn’t know about… and wouldn’t know about, or so he hoped.)

Exhausted from their trip to Disneyland, Pepper invited the Avengers to spend the day at the beach when they choose to. They would just wake up with food ready to eat and the beach ready to bask in. 

As per usual, Steve Rogers was already awake and on his way back from a ten mile run on the beach. He stood on the top of a cliff to watch the sunrise over the famous city for its riches and beaches. 

Next were Thor and Jane who took a stroll on the beach before coming back at noon. 

Tony and Pepper woke up after, and Bruce was sitting on the couch on the patio sipping on tea just watching the waves roll by. 

“I’m getting someone to set up a grill to barbecue with, then a fire pit so we can set up a campfire at sunset. “

Thor smiled, his chest boasting out, “I am the best cook in Asguard with fire-celebrations.”

“I’m sure you are, buddy,” Tony said patting Thor on the back. Tony looked around feeling like he was missing something. The three assassins. “Where’s the happy family?”

“Outside,” Pepper motioned for him to look out the main floor’s patio that extended to the private beach that Pepper and Tony owned. They didn’t put barricades up around the beach letting people wander often enough, especially the joggers but with the Avengers on the beach, Pepper knew that some gossip magazine would soon hear about where they were staying and take paparazzi pictures hence the current barriers around the private beach. 

Besides, Pepper knew that it would be the only way that the assassins would feel comfortable enough to let Hailey out of their site in an open area. 

“Where?” Tony asked looking for three figures outside. He finally spotted them at the end of the beach where Natasha, Clint, and Hailey were playing in the water. 

“What is that Clint Barton is doing?” Thor asked seeing Clint teach Hailey how to use a body board by riding the waves. Natasha was guiding Hailey through the movements as Hailey copied what Clint was showing her. 

“It’s called wave boarding,” Steve pipped up. At least there was something here that he knew and Thor didn’t. He was getting tired of being treated like he was coming from another planet and to be honest he might as well have been coming from another planet with all the changes that have happened since he was around. 

“Ah, it is like what you Miguardians call surfing?” Thor asked. 

Steve shrugged. “It’s a little less adventurous than surfing. But it’s kind of the same thing where you ride the waves.”

Thor turned to Jane with a smile. “I shall like to partake in the sport of surfing, will you join me, my love?”

Jane looked over at the Avengers near her with a petrified look, specifically Pepper. 

Pepper put a hand on Jane’s arm to comfort her. “Actually maybe you and the rest of the boys can take up surfing while all us girls go to the spa or something?” 

The guys looked at each other, besides Tony who was typing away on his phone. 

“Ordered us some surf boards.”

Bruce looked over at them a little nervous. “You know, I think I’ll sit this one out too. If the Hulk comes out, it’ll cause a tsunami.”

Pepper nodded her head in agreement. “I would rather my house stay in tact, no tsunamis.”

“But what shall you do, Bruce Banner?” Thor asked sadly.

“I have my book,” Bruce motioned with a small smile. “I’ll… work on my tan.”

Natasha, Clint, and Hailey didn’t come back until a truck came per and men were carrying freshly waxed surf boards sized for the Avengers with their logos on it. 

“Was that?” Hailey asked as the men planted the surfboards on the beach.

“They’re surfboards, sweeties,” Natasha answered her with a smile. 

“I has one?” Hailey asked turning to Tony with a pout noticing that there wasn’t a board with her designated “symbol.”

“You’re too young, little munchkin,” Tony replied trying to pet her. Hailey dodged it and crossed her arms, then turned to Thor.

“Mister Thund-Thor,” Hailey said, her puppy dog eyes on full mode. Clint and Natasha stayed back watching Hailey interact with the rest of the Avengers. 

“Yes, Lady Hailey?”

“Mister Iron-Man says I no has sur-board, can I has yours?”

Thor looked at her confused. 

“Oh, pease?” Hailey added thinking that it was because she forgot to say please that Thor was thinking about it. 

“I think we will be able to share,” Thor agreed with her. Clint shook his head and stepped up to the conversation. 

“Hailey, you aren’t allowed to have a board yet. You’re too little.”

Hailey pouted at he father. “But… I almost four now!”

“We’ll talk when you’re twelve, okay?”

“But that’s so far away!”

“Exactly,” Clint replied. Hailey pouted preparing for some tears but one look at her Mama Tasha she composed herself like an adult and walked away. 

“I’s need a lemonade,” Hailey said stomping away in a huff into the house where Pepper and Jane were preparing the sandwiches. 

Natasha looked over at Clint with a slight smile. “Can you cook the steaks tonight?”

“What you don’t want Thor over there to give it a try with his lightning?”

Natasha shook her head as she grabbed two beers from the cooler handing one to Clint. “You’re the only one that can get it just right.”

“It’s all those years of practice.”

Natasha looked at Clint then to the other Avengers daring them to say something about what she just revealed. 

“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Tony muttered nudging Bruce who tried to just ignore Tony and keep on reading his book. 

“I thought they called it fondue,” Steve admitted with a shrug taking a swig of his beer and admiring the ocean in front of him. 

Tony and Bruce chuckled along with Steve earning daggers from Natasha, followed quickly by a shrug. She wasn’t going to ruin the day by maiming her teammates. Fury would have something to say about that and the paperwork that would follow would just be horrendous. 

Hailey bounded back to where they were lounging on the beach with a glass of lemonade in hand.

“Mama,” she called out standing beside a sitting Natasha. 

“Yes, Haile?”

“Since I’s no surf, can-may we makes sandcastle?”

Hailey looked at her moher with expectant eyes, causing Clint to just smile at their interaction. 

“Do we have the supplies for it?”

“Uhus!” Hailey exclaimed looking at the door where Pepper came out and walked towards them with a bucket of supplies for sand castles. “Miss Pepper and Miss-Doctor Foster gonna makes their own.”

“What none of us are invited?” Bruce asked her with a smile. 

Hailey turned around, walked per to Bruce and gave him a hug. 

“Sorry Mister-Doctor-Hulk-Banner,” Hailey apologized as she hugged him. Bruce returned the hug. “But since cos-a you not a girl, yous can’t make sandcastles wit us.”

“Okay,” Bruce sighed in a fake dejection. 

Pepper stepped up to Natasha and Hailey followed by Jane both with a bucket of supplies in each hand. “Shall we, ladies?”

Natasha stuck her hand out so Hailey could help her up even though she was perfectly capable of doing it herself. 

The men watched their significant others walk closer to the tides and start building sandcastles. 

“What say you all we start this activity of surfing?” Thor asked the men around him who were all sipping on some type of beverages. 

“Sounds like a great idea,” Clint said jumping up and picking the board that was obviously his from the purple bow and arrow that marked the board. He was caught up in watching Natasha and Hailey interact and he knew that she could feel his stares. Knew that if he stayed watching them, he would be in trouble either by the assassin or Stark’s mocking of a tent in his pants. 

The men all picked up their freshly made and waxed boards going into the ocean and attempting to surf. Surprisingly enough, Thor who was getting lessons from Clint was able to pick it up quickly. Tony and Steve had both surfed before so it wasn’t a problem.

Clint who kept an eye out on the ladies making sandcastles noticed that a certain redhead disppaeraed. Only to reappear next to him by puling him off his board and causing him to fall into the ocean. When he resurfaced, Natasha was laughing so hard, her back was practically on the board. She was, if Clint had to be honest, a vision. The sunlight reflecting on her red hair, her laughter coupled with the sound of the crashing waves… if he was to die with that as the last thing he saw he wouldn’t complain.

“You think that’s funny?” He asked her as she tried to calm her laughter. The rest of the guys were surfing waves a little closer to the shore than where Clint had been so they weren’t in the way. 

“Yes,” Natasha said in between laughs. 

Clint rolled his eyes. “I’ll show you funny!”

With that he pulled on her leg bypassing her reflexes and having her fall off her board and into the ocean. 

She surfaced spattering about, kicking his shin as she treaded. She narrowed her eyes at him, then swam to her board attempting to get up when Clint grabbed her by the waist. They eyes met, laughter subsiding as they moved closer to one another. Their face almost touching when Thor came bounding towards them in his board. 

“Man of Iron would like me to tell you that the campfire and grill are ready, Eye of Hawk.”

Clint barely acknowledged Thor, never breaking his eye contact with Natasha.

“Be right there, buddy.”

Thor paddled away in his board, catching a wave and riding it perfectly to the shore. 

“We should probably get back,” Natasha whispered to him, still slowly treading water, one hand latched onto her board. 

“We should,” Clint agreed, moving closer to Natasha before closing the gap between them with a kiss.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 - Truth of the Matter

 

Clint went up to his floor after a long day training. Stark made him new prototypes for arrows that he was testing, which took up most of his day. Finally after ten hours of trying and testing and suggesting different arrows, he was able to get to his floor for some much needed rest and to spend time with his daughter. Instead of finding his usually happy daughter playing at his floor with one of the Avengers, he found Hailey bawling in the living room in her princess dress. 

“Hailey?” Clint called out with a sigh, placing a hand on his daughter’s back. 

Hailey’s cries intensified as Clint wrapped his arms around her. “What’s wrong baby?”

“Mama.”

Clint stiffened. “What happened to Mama?”

Hailey sniffled trying to contain her crying. “She… she says she no wanna see me.”

Clint frowned. Natasha never, not wanted to see her. They had just returned from their weekend in California where everything seemed so perfect. He, Natasha, and Hailey felt like the family they once were when he and Natasha were dating and Hailey (and himself) could not be any more happier with the new developments. In fact, he was just trying to get the courage up to apologize to Natasha for what he did when he said she was not Hailey’s mother and ask her for another chance. 

Bobbi had died a long time ago and Hailey saw Natasha more of a mother than Bobbi had ever been to her. It was important to him that Hailey know who Bobbi was and what a great person she was, but it was also important that Hailey was happy. Natasha made Hailey happy, she played the role of a mother to Hailey, something that wasn’t more evident to him in their weekend away. Any scratch or problem, Hailey always went to Natasha, she was a mama’s girl, that Clint was certain. 

And if he were honest with himself, he loved Natasha. Never really stopped loving her. If he had to get on his knees and grovel, he would. Anything to get her to take him back.

“She no loves me no more,” Hailey wailed. “She no wanna be my mama!”

Clint sighed. He had to get to the bottom of the problem. 

“Jarvis,” Clint called out to the AI. 

“Yes Agent Barton?”

“Keep a close eye on Haiiley while I check on Natasha, will you?”

“Of course, sir.”

“Honey, I’m gonna go check on mama, okay?”

Hailey nodded as she cried. 

Clint walked back into the elevator, still in his workout gear and headed straight for Natasha’s floor to see what was wrong with her. 

He got off on her floor walking around carefully looking for her. She was sitting on her couch silently staring at the wall. 

“Tasha?”

She didn’t move. Clint walked closer to her, sitting beside her on the couch. 

“Tasha, what’s wrong?”

Natasha shrugged. 

Clint sighed. “Hailey’s upset you didn’t want to spend time with her today. She had the tea set out and everything.”

Natasha nodded her head. “Tell her I’m sorry, I just… I have a lot on my plate right now.”

“I…” Clint started. He didn’t know how to begin. “I’m sorry if I’m pressuring you to… since the…”

“Nate proposed,” Natasha blurted out not paying attention to anything Clint just said. 

Clint froze, his stomach dropping. Was this how Natasha felt when he told her he proposed to Bobbi? Well, payback’s a bitch. 

“And uh… you said…”

“I told him that I would think about it, that I would tell him when he gets in town next since we had that mission and we left for Disneyland…”

“What are you going to say?” Clint asked her. His heart was clenching. 

“I want to say yes.”

Clint closed his eyes trying to keep his breathing normal, happy that she had not taken the time to look away from the wall. The back of her head still the only thing he was looking at. 

“Why… why don’t you?”

Masochist.

“I just… Why would he ask? He doesn’t even know me. He doesn’t know about all the red and when he does… he’s gonna leave. They always do.”

“Not everyone leaves you.”

She shook her head. “You knew me. You knew all of me and you… you left. It was too much for you and it will be too much for him.”

“Do you love him?” he asked. 

Salt, meet wound. 

“I… I think so. I think sometimes, maybe. He’s my only chance to have what you all have, you know?”

“Uh… No, I don’t know?”

“You all, you and Hailey and whoever you’re going to meet and let her be Hailey’s mother, and Tony and Pepper, and Thor and Jane… Bruce and Steve are friends, they’re buddies. I have no one.”

“You aren’t alone, Natasha. You have all of those people.”

“Bruce is… he has Hulk. Steve will find some perfect all-American and they’re going to have perfect children. You all have someone to grow old with, to care if you died. I have no one.”

Clint balled his fists in anger. “You really think that I won’t care if you died. That Hailey won’t care? She’s upstairs bawling her eyes out because you wouldn’t play tea set with her. Can you imagine if you died, what her reaction would be?”

Natasha shrugged finally looking at him. “I think… you would have someone by then. Someone who would be her mother and she wouldn’t even notice. You wouldn’t even notice.”

“Fuck, Natasha. It’s like you don’t know me at all!”

She paused and counted her numbers in her head instead of striking Clint. “You… what do you think? Do you think I should say yes?”

“I think if you wanted to say yes, you would’ve done it already,” Clint observed.

“You know, if you had asked me, before… when I thought… I would’ve said yes in a heartbeat.”

“And now?”

“And now,I know you don’t actually love me. You’re here because Hailey needs someone, and I get it…. But, sometimes… Sometimes I wish you kissed me because you loved me, not because it felt like it was the right thing to do at that moment or you were filling some sort of hole in your life, and Hailey’s.”

Clint sighed. How was he going to convince her that he loved her? Could he do that? 

They sat there for a long time just thinking. Clint thinking about how he was too late. That he was a class-A bastard for what he had done to this beautiful, strong, woman who thought she could not be loved. That he didn’t love her. He knew it would be next to an impossible feat to try. Once Natasha was convinced of something, there was no way that he would be able to change her mind. She rationalized that the only reason he was sticking around was because he needed a substitute in his life. 

Bobbi was, on some level, the substitute for Natasha. He thought he was done with that, he would be done with that. 

Natasha sat there thinking, trying to convince herself that saying yes would be something she had to do. Because she deserved happiness too, no matter how much of a lie it would be. But on the other hand, she couldn’t say yes. She can’t let someone else become a substitute for who she really wanted: Clint. 

“I… I have to go check on Hailey,” Clint stated standing up. 

“Tell her I’m sorry… I should… have this all figured out by tomorrow. I’ll uh, I’ll take her out tomorrow.”

Clint nodded his head as he walked to the elevator, determined that she would say yes. That tomorrow she would be engaged and soon, happily married with him standing on the sidelines to see her happy with someone else. 

Nobody has ever measured up to Natasha, even Bobbi, and nobody will. He didn’t think he could move on from her this time. 

Meanwhile, Natasha watched Clint get into the elevator with her final decision in mind. She couldn’t say yes. It wouldn’t be fair to Nate for her to forever pine after a man who didn’t love her. Besides it was better to leave someone than to be left. She wasn’t going to be a victim down the road. She would leave him first.

Natasha picked up her phone and dialed Nate’s number. His cheery voice picked up on the other side, and Natasha sighed. For now, Nate’s heart would break but he would thank her for it later. He was better off without her. 

They all were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not my favorite chapter that I've written... I actually hate it but I didn't know how else to go about it, probably going to revise it (same story line, different writing) or maybe I'll just leave it depending on what you guys tell me.
> 
> Three more chapters left in the story!
> 
> Happy Reading!

Chapter 17 - Game Changer

It was three weeks since Natasha told Clint about Nate's proposal, three weeks since he effectively distanced himself away from her. She could see the signs, he never sparred with her anymore, remained with minimal contact from her, and only talking when he dropped Hailey off to her floor when he asked Natasha to watch the child. Hailey even noticed it and asked her about it, to which she pretended that the little girl just had a rich imagination.

As if Nick Fury had been privy to his dilemma, the archer was sent on more missions to ensure that he was fit and able for duty. The missions were rising in their clearances as Clint worked back up the ladder from his "demotion" since playing puppet for an ice-god. He didn't mind, it gave him an excuse to not think about Natasha and her engagement. He figured that by now, Pepper was helping plan Natasha's wedding and the less time he spent in the Tower or around the other Avengers, the better.

His missions did make him miss Hailey, on a secure line, he would call her everyday and sing her to sleep. When he was in the safe house, he made sure to at least video-chat with her once a day. Of course he would occasionaly see a glimpse of Natasha in the background as she fixed lunch or dinner for Hailey but he chose to ignore her presence. He needed to conenctrate on what was real and in front of him.

But at the moment, Clint was sitting on top of a rooftop, doing what he did best: wait for the perfect shot.

The mark came into his scope, and he waited. The wind was too high to risk shooting the civilian not a foot away from the mark.

It was when he calculated the trajectory that he noticed a red laser pointer, pointed at his heart. While Clint's first thought was "how cliché" his second thought was a series of curse words as he moved to get out of the way of the bullet he could feel barely pass him in the air.

zzzzz

Natasha Romanoff was sitting on the couch braiding Hailey's long blonde hair as the little girl rambled on about her time with Captain America in the zoo. Steve loved the Bronx Zoo and loved bringing Hailey out to see the animals.

The redhead stiffened a moment before finishing Hailey's braids.

"Tada! All done, baby."

"Mama?" Hailey asked her turning around with a smile.

Natasha's words were lost on her tongue when Jarvis called an alert team meeting at the common level. She sprung into action, knowing there could only be one reason that even the AI sounded so distressed. All the Avengers, except for one, was in the Tower.

"Mama, I's go wit you?"

"You can't," she shook her head. "You're staying here until I come upstairs."

"But, mama," Hailey whined. "I's an Avenger too!"

"No, Hailey, you cannot go."

The little girl opened her mouth to protest.

"That's final," Natasha stated leaving no room for arguments. "Jarvis, please lock Hailey down on this level. Alert us if she even thinks about going into the air vents."

Hailey's eyes started to water causing Natasha to deflate and leave her a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm only doing this to protect you, Haile. Please stay here and I'll be back up as soon as I can."

Hailey nodded her head in tears as Natasha walked to the elevator to bring her to the common level. Once she stepped out, all the Avengers were already there, a sad look on their eyes.

In that moment, all her suspicions that Clint was in trouble were confirmed.

"Where is he?" Natasha asked.

"He's in Manila," Tony spoke up. "They're trying to get him stable enough to Med-Evac to Hawaii."

"How bad is it?"

This time, Bruce spoke up. "Flat lined three times, according to SHIELD. He's a fighter."

"I know damn well he's a fighter!" Natasha snapped coming closer to the monitors where Tony was playing the live feed video of Clint's hospital room.

"I'm chartering the plane to get you to Hawaii, asap," Tony mentioned. "We'll take care of Hailey while you… make sure we get our Hawk back. Flight leaves in an hour. Happy's here to pick you up."

Natasha nodded her head taking one last glance at the feed. "Will you…"

"You have access o the live feeds on your tablet."

She nodded her head, "Thank you, Tony."

xxxxxx

Natasha kept a close eye on the tablet that showed her live feeds of Clint. So far on his way to Hawaii, Clint had not flat lined once — a good sign as any. The whole plane ride to Hawaii took up most of her day she spent just watching the screen making sure that if anything changed with him, she would know.

She didn't even notice that she dozed off until the flight attendant shook her to tell her that they've landed and a limo was outside waiting for her.

The fact that the flight attendant was able to do so showed how exhausted she actually was trying to make sure that Clint was alright, that he was going to live.

The plane landed on the rooftop of the hospital that Clint was detained at to avoid the traffic, something that Natasha made a mental note to thank Tony for by torturing him a little less next time she was at the Tower.

A SHIELD agent was waiting at the door waiting to escort her.

"Agent Romanoff," the agent greeted her as she walked towards him.

"Where is he?"

"He's stable, he's going to wake up in about thirty minutes according to the doctor so that they can be sure that he didn't have any brain trauma that they can't see when he fell off the building."

Natasha sighed, making another mental note to hit Clint upside his head for being stupid enough to let himself fall off the building.

"Take me to his room."

"Yes, ma'am," the rookie agent said as he lead Natasha down the steps and through a series of corridors leading to a heavily guarded room where she can only assume Clint was in.

The rookie agent turned to her. "The Director has given us strict orders that you, and his medical staff, are the only ones allowed in and out of Agent Barton's room."

Natasha nodded her head in acknowledgment as she walked into Clint's room. His body connected to one too many tubes and wires that ensured he was alive.

She walked up to him and grabbed his clammy hand.

"Don't do this to me," she whispered to him. "Don't do this to Hailey."

She pulled the spare chair on the side next to his bed as he had done for her numerous times. She pulled a book out of her bag to read, one hand always in contact with his, preparing herself to wait for him to wake up.

Instead, she was the one awoken by a subtle squeeze on her right hand that she hand in his. The movement was followed by a series of choking sounds coming from Clint who was fighting the tube in his mouth that was helping him to breath.

"Stop," Natasha ordered him as she pressed the button for medical assistance. She would take the tube out herself, but she didn't know the extent of his injuries, and there was no way in hell she was going to risk it.

Clint kept fighting the tube to breathe on his own.

Natasha rolled her eyes.

The nurse walked into fuss over him, taking the tube out.

"Agent Romanoff, he's all yours."

"Thank you," she smiled at the nurse watching her walk away as she glared over at Clint. As soon as the nurse walked out of the room, she looked over at Clint.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Natasha asked him calmly.

"What?"

"What were you thinking falling off a building without a grapple hook, getting shot at? You have so much to loose, you have so many people who care and love you and…"

"I'm leaving SHIELD," Clint stated cutting her off.

Natasha looked at him surprised.

"You're what?!"

"You're right."

Natasha did a double take. "Care to put that in writing? On record?"

Clint chuckled, or tried to since it all ended up as a coughing feat. Natasha rushed to his side with water and a straw for him to sip through.

"Stark is probably recording this," Clint nodded over to the camera on the side after he recovered.

"I'll just get the footage from him later."

Clint smiled at her nodding his head. "I'm serious, Tash. I can't… Hailey… I'm the only one she's got. This was always supposed to be my last mission."

"When were you going to tell me?" Natasha asked him. "I'm loosing my partner, I think I should've known in advance…"

"I… I didn't think you would care," Clint admitted. "We haven't worked together as much, I didn't think it would matter."

"You're a fucking idiot," Natasha stated pulling her hand out from under his grasp.

"I'm sorry."

"So what now?"

"I'll be … an Avengers, Nick is wiping out all my records, it's like I wouldn't have even worked fro SHIELD."

"No more missions?"

"No, you're… you got yourself together, and the job, it works for you," he stated thinking about their last conversation of Natasha's engagement. He didn't dare glance at her left hand for fear of what he might find there. Clint has successfully avoided her since their conversation precisely because he didn't think he could take it, could just watch her love someone else without confessing his true feelings. Quiting SHIELD took one more link away that he had with Natasha and the memories they shared. He knew it was time that he go out and be normal… well as normal as an Avenger could be.

"And it's not working for you?" Natasha asked him. The underlying meaning of the question regarding their relationship evident in her tone.

Clint shook his head. No, it wasn't working, not when he realized that he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but she was out having a life with someone else.

"But, it's a work in progress."


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter, and I hope you guys do as well! It's longer than the usual chapters too! :)
> 
> Two more chapters to go before the story ends!
> 
> Happy Reading!

Chapter 18 - The Necklace

For someone who spent most of his life living in a not-so-normal lifestyle, Clint Barton was adjusting to this new life better than he (and everyone else) thought he would be. After officially de-activating his status in SHIELD, all records of Clinton Barton code name Hawkeye existing were wiped off the system. Strike Team Delta was composed of Agent Romanoff only. Hawkeye did not exist even n the Avengers. Nothing was left in his files, and even back -ups of the back-ups were burnt and permanently deleted from every record, no traces even with Director Nicholas J. Fury's override. (He even tested Agent Romanoff's skills on it, and even she came up with nothing.)

Fury made sure that nothing about Hawkeye, and especially his beloved daughter, were in SHIELD system. If his gut was correct, which it usually is, then something big was about to go down and there was nobody else in the world that deserved a normal life than that little girl. SHIELD had done enough to her family and childhood for them to ever e able ot re-pay their debts.

Clint Barton was, currently, unemployed (his unemployment salary paid for by Stark Industries under the name Carlson Bradley) was sitting at the terrace of Avengers Tower with Hailey beside him, casting digital arrows at digital targets.

"This so much fun, daddy!" Hailey exclaimed shooting another arrow and pretending to be that one princess with the arrow that Clint could never remember the name of.

"Whenever you're ready to stop, remember we have to stop and get you a dress so we can go see Annie," Clint reminded her. Broadway tickets courtesy of Pepper who thought that Hailey needed more education than the ones that the Avengers (mostly Tony and Clint) provided her on a daily basis. While Natasha was usually there to culture the little girl and ensure that she knew more culture than the lyrics to the whole Pink Floyd album, Pepper thought she should throw in her fair share, hence the tickets to see Annie on Broadway.

"Oh yes yes! I's almost forgotted!" Hailey exclaimed taking off her eye piece and ending their virtual target shooting. "We goes now?"

He chuckled at his daughter dressed in a mix and match rainbow tights, her pink and purple tutu and shook his head.

"You think Mama Tasha would like you going out in the city like that?" he asked her with a smile motioning to her outfit. Natasha and Hailey had a specific set of at home and outside clothes. At home, Hailey could wear whatever it was that she wanted, in whatever form. Outside, Natasha had more expectations for the young girl wanting her to dress properly. Hailey didn't mind, she loved dressing up. Hence, the shopping trip for the Broadway show.

"No, I's change to ouss-side clothes," Hailey replied running off to the elevator to their floor to change. Clint started to clean up the supplies they were using in order to go through digital shooting. Once he finished, he went to their floor, with Hailey waiting for him on the couch in her outside clothes perfectly matched, black ballet flats on her feet.

"You ready?" Clint asked her with a smile. Hailey nodded her head but made no move to stand up. "Let's go?"

She shook her head. "No daddy, yous has to change to outside clothes too."

Clint looked down inspecting himself. A well-worn out pair of jeans that had a hole at the knee and his signature black t-shirt that he owned eight million pairs of (seven, since Natasha got a hold of most of them when they were together).

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" he asked her with a smile. She sent him the signature Black Widow glare that she could have only learned from the Black Widow herself.

"You's not wearing outside clothes, you wants me ta-tell mama?"

Clint shook his head with a smile walking to his room to change out of his clothes. He threw on a better (less worn) pair of jeans and switched to a v-neck instead of a crew neck shirt.

"Jarvis," Clint called out into the room.

"Yes Mister Barton?"

"Send us a car, please."

"One will be waiting for you on the ground level."

"Thank you, J."

With that, Clint went out to get Hailey from the couch and into the elevator making sure that he had the credit card that Pepper told him he needed to use for everything Hailey needed. They got to the ground floor, and as Jarvis stated, there was a black bullet proof SUV and driver waiting for them in the back entrance garage to ensure no paparazzi was going to come snapping pictures as well as the constant fear that someone would find them. Stark and Natasha) had the area swept regularly for anyone who could possibly bug the place. Clint and Hailey entered the back of the SUV quickly to avoid camera detection.

The driver looked back at them, with a neutral expression.

"Where to, sir?"

Clint looked over at Hailey with a smile. "Where did you want to go shopping?"

"I's like da place mama takes-ed me to," Hailey stated not sure where the places are in New York, but she knew that she loved that street that seemed to have everything.

"Fifth Avenue," Clint stated with a smile. It only made sense that Hailey's favorite shopping strip would be Natasha's. After all, he let the girls do the shopping (most of the time) and left the archery and sports stuff to him. Speaking of, he made a mental note to get tickets to the next Yankees game to take Hailey to. Maybe even reach out to Natasha who he has not seen since he quit SHIELD because Fury moved her and her new partner, none other than Captain America, to the Triskeleton.

For the rest of the afternoon, Hailey dragged Clint to some of the boutiques that he recognized Natasha often got her clothes from. Clint knew that even though he and Natasha didn't work out, there would always be Hailey to bond them together. At least he had something over Natasha's new fiance for the time being. He didn't see Natasha waiting any longer to have children, it was a topic of discussion between them when they were seeing each other. She wanted a child of her own, one that she could dote on and prove that she was not just a monster who brought destruction to the world.

At first, Clint had been adamant that he could not have another child, Hailey was enough of a handful as it was. But now, he wished he had.

After hours of shopping, Hailey and Clint sat outside on a bench munching on hot dogs. The sun had already set, and the bright city lights lit up the sky. It was both Hailey and Clint's favorite time of day.

"You ready to go yet?" Clint asked her eyeing the bags of clothing they bought all courtesy of Pepper Potts who, as it was, also wished that she could have her own child. But until things with Stark Industries died down, and Tony Stark was less volatile, it seemed she was going to live vicariously by spoiling the living daylights out of Hailey.

"No daddy! I's need one more thing!" Hailey exclaimed. She was now dressed in a different get-up, in the dress that she wanted to wear to the show. Clint picked up a pair of slacks and a suit jacket as well.

"Yeah, what else could you possibly need, my princess?"

"I's needs a ... necklace!" Hailey exclaimed with a toothy grin. "Mama says I needs ta 'top-offs' with frosting."

"And that means you need a necklace?"

"Uhu!"

Clint smiled, at least he wasn't paying for this extravagant shopping spree that Hailey seemed to have weekly.

"And where do you suggest we get you a necklace at?"

Hailey scoffed at him. "Tiffany's, duh!"

Clint chuckled looking to his left and spotting the infamous Tiffany store.

He stood up and gathered the bags in one hand while leaving the other outstretched for Hailey to take. "Shall we go, princess?"

Hailey stuffed the last two bites of hot dog in her mouth as she nodded her head enthusiastically.

They father-daughter duo walked into the store hand in hand, Hailey's eyes full of wonder and excitement as she took note of all the shiny things in the store.

"May I help you, miss?" one of the attendants in full black suit walked up to Hailey, squatting down to her level.

Hailey looked up at her father for permission to speak to the man, to which Clint nodded his head.

"Uhu! I's want to frost."

The salesman looking up at Clint with a curious look, to which Clint responded with a smile shrug.

"Princess," Clint started, making sure to leave out Hailey's name. "Tell him what kind of jewelry you want."

"Oh! I wats-ta jer-ly neck-lass."

"A necklace?" the salesman clarified, smiling at Hailey and once again looking up at Clint for approval. Clint nodded his head.

"Right this way," the man said leading them to the case full of necklaces of all kinds. There were infinity pendants, owls, birds, silver, gold, everything Hailey could ever think of.

Hailey walked around the case once, stopping midway through the next one, her gaze transfixed to one necklace.

Clint and the salesman following ensuite.

Clint followed Hailey's gaze and smirked, his chest puffing out slightly in pride. Amongst the necklaces that were lined up in the case bright and shiny, was a silver arrow pendant, with a small diamond cluster within the pendant on a delicate silver chain.

"You want it?" Clint asked her motioning at the necklace he knew she had picked.

Hailey nodded her head enthusiastically. "Uhu!"

The saleseman stepped up confused. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Which necklace were you hoping to get?"

"The arrow!" Hailey replied in her 'duh' tone of voice. Clint was too preoccupied being proud that he didn't bother to correct her on using the tone of voice.

The salesman walked around to open the case and brought a new set out for Hailey. He took the necklace out of the signature Tiffany blue box and handed the necklace to Clint.

"Will you do the honors, sir?"

Clint took the necklace from him and put it around Hailey's neck. The chain was too long on the small child.

"Will you adjust the chain to fit her?" Clint told the salesman.

"Of course, sir, wait one moment," the salesman stated taking the necklace back to Clint and making a few adjustments. He returned a few moments later with the necklace in hand and handed it to Clint. "I think this will be perfect now."

Clint put the necklace back on Hailey.

"If you'll follow me, I'll ring up your purchases."

Clint moved to follow the man but Hailey grabbed his hand to stop him. "Daddy, what about mama?"

Clint looked at her in confusion.

"What?"

"Mama! Mama has-ta gets the necklace too!"

"Uh..."

Hailey sighed rolling her eyes. She walked up to the salesman who was looking at her expectantly.

"We needs 'nother same neck-lass," the little girl ordered him.

The salesman looked over at Clint for verification. Clint nodded his head confused on what was going on.

The salesman left for a moment coming back with another box that contained the same arrow necklace that rested on Hailey's neck.

"Hey, uh, can you engrave it?" Clint asked the saleseman.

"For 100 extra, sir."

"That's fine."

"What did you wish for us to put on this one?"

"Partner."

The salesman once again walked away for a couple of minutes and came back with a smile on his face. "It's done sir, now would that be cash or credit?"

Clint dug through his pockets for his wallet taking out a lump of cash to pay for the necklaces. It was something he didn't want to charge on the Stark Industries dime. He wanted those necklaces for the two people he loved most to be from him. Unemployed or not, Clint was still a sentimental man, and at the end of the day he could still afford such luxuries having twenty years of SHIELD work funds aside, as well as funds from his freelancing days.

Hailey and Clint walked outside hand in hand towards the black SUV waiting for them at the corner. Both were ready to go to the show, and Clint had the Tiffany blue box stored in his pocket for safekeeping.

After the play, the same black SUV picked them up to take them to the Avenger's Tower. Hailey had fallen asleep on the way back after an exhausting day, her hand clutched around the necklace she got from the day.

He took the little girl in his arms to carry her to their floor. Clint pressed the button to the elevator, the elevator immediately opened.

"Welcome back, sir. I assume you and Ms. Morse had a grand time today."

"We did, thanks Jarvis," Clint replied in a whisper seeing the button for his floor automatically line up.

"Sir, Mr. Stark has told me to inform you that Agent Romanoff will be back in the Tower tomorrow," Jarvis said as the door opened up to his floor.

"Noted," Clint responded. At first it had been wierd talking to an AI but after years in the Avenger's Tower, he got used to speaking to Jarvis who sometimes he used to bounce off ideas on, or as a calendar. (Which was really helpful since unemployment made him feel like the days blended in together. Clint didn't even know what day of the week it was anymore.)

He set Hailey down onto her bed, changing her into her pajamas before tucking her in for the night. He turned on the sensor alarms in the little girl's room that would tell him any single movement in the room whether it be a fly going into the room, or Hailey tossing and turning.

Clint went to put away his coat pocket, getting reminded of the necklace that he bought earlier that day for Natasha. He opened one of his desk drawers determined to just push it aside and leave it there. Maybe leave it for Hailey to just give to Natasha as if it was from him.

But he couldn't.

He sat down on his desk and picked up a pen and paper and began writing.

Tasha.

No, scrap that.

He balled up the paper and threw it into the furthest trashcan to test him aim. Perfect target.

Natasha,

I lo...

"Damn it."

He balled the paper again and aimed at the garbage in the other hallway. Perfect target.

I know this is stupid and sentimental.

Just wanted you to have a reminder that I'm still here, whenever you need me.

PS. Hailey's idea, she has the same one. Something about frosting herself.

-C

He fold the paper neatly and slipped it under the bow. He climbed the vents to her room, setting the small box in the middle of her bed where she wouldn't miss it, then went back to him room laying in his bed restless.

xxxxx

Natasha walked into her bedroom after a long stint was three in the morning and she didn't even bother to debrief with Fury, she'd do it sometime tomorrow with Hill who was still in New York. She was due back in DC in two days for another mission, and left Steve on his own in DC.

Natasha hated DC, the traffic, the politics, the smell. She did love the scenery and history, and being able to have morning jogs there. But the one factor that DC was missing were the people that mattered to her the most: Clint and Hailey.

She was looking forward to tomorrow where she could see the both of them again.

She paused on her way to her bed when she saw the blue box. Tiffany's.

The redhead sat on the bed fiddling with the bow of the box, the letter still there. She opened up the letter and read it.

She smiled and slipped the bow off, looking at the contents of the package. She took out the necklace and watched as the word "partners" played on with the lighting.

Natasha unclasped the chain and put it around her neck, locking it and tugging on it to make sure that it was secure. Her hand didn't leave the arrow in the middle.

She closed her eyes and laid down on her bed.

"Always."


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the last chapter in this story. I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it :) Thank you for sticking with the story even though I sucked at updating it!
> 
> Little things about this chapter: centered are text messages, italicized dialouges are taken directly from CATWS.
> 
> Happy Reading!

Chapter 19 - In Hiding

Natasha didn't have time to see Clint the next day. Fury called with an urgent assignment that she and Rogers were getting called out for. A SHIELD ship was hikacjed by mercenaries and they needed their best. She didn't take the necklace off of her as she put on a change of clothes and caught a ride to the airport.

On her way, she drafted a quick text to Clint.

"Called out for urgent SHIELD mission. Tell Hailey sorry, I'll be back ASAP.

Got the necklace. Thanks. See you both soon. Xo."

A mission that she thought would get her back to New York in four days tops started to look like she would never find her way to New York.

She typed on her phone when Sitwell (of all people) informed her that Fury was in critical condition in the hospital and she should probably be there on his final moments. When she entered the SHIELD standard black SUV, she typed away a message to Clint.

"Prep for worse. Fury in CritCon. Doesn't look good. Think WS is back. Keep you updated."

Clint received the message at 0100 hours. His phone next to the bed.

"Shit," he muttered sitting up and rubbing his eyes to make sure that it wasn't a dream.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I need you to call in Stark and Banner to the common room, watch Hailey for me?"

"Of course sir," the AI responded. "They will be in the common room in about two minutes."

"Thanks J," Clint stated getting out of bed and putting on sweats and a t-shirt. He walked passed Hailey's room making sure she was there and sound asleep before getting into the elevator to meet the others at the common room. Having them meet in his floor would probably cause Hailey to wake up and he didn't want the girl to be involved in the current news.

"What's going on Barton?" Tony asked, his bed-head a tell-tale sign that the man actually sleeps. Or now he does with Pepper enforcing that he get some sleep especially after the Mandarin incident where he nearly worked himself to the ground.

"Natasha sent me a message that I'm going to need your help on confirming," Clint said addressing Tony.

"What? You woke me up because of your love triangle?"

Clint rolled is eyes. "She said Fury's in the hospital in CritCon… Probably won't make it through the night."

That captured Tony and Banner's attention.

"What the fuck?"

"I need you to see if the Winter Solider is back," Clint stated all too familiar with the name that haunted Natasha in the night. Her search for him drove her mad. She was the best, had contacts all over the world, and yet she couldn't find a single thing on the Winter Solider. The person who on the surface she blamed for her inability to wear bikinis, but in all actually set off a chain of events that led her to loose Clint to Bobbi, and SHIELD to not trust her for a brief period of time.

"Alright," Tony stated walking up to one of his computer screens and trying to pull up information from the most classified of sources to determine the identity of the person.

"Clint, if Fury really is dying… What is going to happen to SHIELD? Hill is there but…" Bruce rambled on, massaging his temples, worried about the repercussions of the death of SHIELD's director.

"For Nick to die, someone must have targeted him," Clint stated. "It was an assassination attempt, by the Winter Solider. The question now is who is controlling him."

Clint's phone beeped with another message.

"Fury's gone. Roger's knows something. Keep you updated."

The other two men looked at Clint.

"Was that Natasha?" Tony asked him.

"Fury's gone," Clint stated nodding his head.

Before Clint resigned officially, Fury went to great lengths to erase all the Hawkeye files from the agency. Clint thought it was weird, but Fury had been on the edge. Had been for a while now trying to figure out what was wrong with the agency. He told Clint that something was about to go down, and when it did, then he was to take HAiley to the safest place that he could find because his agents were going to be targeted.

Banner let out a breath. "What now?"

"Hailey and I need to go in hiding," Clint stated. "Fury… I need to keep her safe."

"Banner and I will stay here, in case Cap or Natasha needs up," Tony nodded his head.

Clint smirked. "What happened to not having any more suits?"

"Nick Fury is dead, I think Pepper will forgive me for this one," Tony stated. "What do you need from us?"

Clint shrugged. "I'll get a burn phone, untraceable. I'll contact you all when Hailey and I have made it to our destination."

Clint handed his StarkPhone to Tony, not before erasing the conversations he has with Natasha.

"Hopefully it's nothing and I'll see you all soon."

Banner nodded his head as Tony was already immersed in what little they could find on the Winter Soldier.

"Keep her safe," Banner stated with a smile. "We got it from this end."

"Thank you," Clint said getting back into the elevator so that he could start packing for the long drive that was ahead for he and Hailey.

Getting into his room first, he packed just the most essential of items. A couple of his vintage concert T-shirts, four days worth of a change in clothing. A travel tooth brush and tooth paste, some deodorant. The rest of his large duffle bag was filled with the cash he had stashed in the Avenger's Tower bordering on eight million dollars.

He took the bag and placed it by the elevator before turning into Hailey's room. Careful not to make any sounds or wake her, Clint packed Hailey's favorites. Her favorite dress, her favorite shirts and pants, her favorite books. He took the pictures that he had on her nightstand of the three of them (He, Hailey, and Natasha) from their recent Disneyland trip and placed it inside the bag as well. He went to the fridge and got a couple of bottles of orange juice for her to drink on their way. He placed the bag he packed for her neck to his duffle bag.

He walked back into the Princess decorated room approaching her bed. The arrow necklace showed from the light in he hallway reflecting off her neck.

"Haile?" he whispered shaking her a bit to wake her up.

The daughter of spies, Hailey started stirring.

"Daddy?" she whispered sleepily.

"Can you wake up for a little bit?" Clint asked her knowing that she would be knocked out by the time they get into the subway.

"Maybe," Hailey stated yawning. "Whas goin-on?"

"You remember when Mama and I told you about plans?"

Haiiey's sleepy mind took a while to process the question before nodding her head. Natasha and Clint, after Clint's retirement from SHIELD, sat Hailey down and instructed her of the plans that they made in case things went wrong. She was old enough to comprehend the plans and know that her safety was important.

Clint smiled. "We have to leave here, only for a little while."

"Okay, daddy," Hailey stated slipping out of her bed. "Cans-May I bring Director-Mister-Fury-Bear?"

Clint nodded his head.

"You can bring two of your favorites, the rest we have to leave here."

"Is we comes back?"

"Eventually," he responded standing up and pulling out a hoodie for the little girl to wear and her shoes.

Clutched in her hand was her Fury bear, and Natasha bear. Clint smiled knowing that she wouldn't leave without them.

"I's ready Daddy," she said with a smile and a yawn. Clint nodded his head and led her to the elevator. He strapped on the bag pack that had Hailey's things on his back and draped his duffle bag over his shoulder. His concealed weapons were in easy access in the duffle bag.

With that, Clint and Hailey rode the elevator out of Stark Towers and into the night.

xxxxxxx

Natasha sat in the passenger seat of the truck that she and Rogers borrowed for their trip to New Jersey. She was slowly coming back into conciseness, coughing up ash and dust she inhaled from the explosion.

"Where are we?" the redhead asked Captain America groggily.

"On our way to DC," Rogers stated.

Natasha's eyes burrowed. "The Tower would have been closer."

"I know," Rogers stated. "But I'm not going to put them in danger. New York is still barely recovering from Loki's actions. We started this in DC, we should finish this there."

Natasha nodded her head. She understood where he was coming from. She clutched the simple arrow necklace that hung on her neck. "We need to get Hydra, or nobody is safe."

He nodded his head, "Do you know anyone who could be safe? For us to go to?"

"Well we can't go to our apartments and we can't risk — I never talked to other agents besides…"

"I understand… Actually I think I know the last place they would look for us."

Natasha nodded her head unable to keep up before dozing back off, her body needing time to heal from the heat and the other chemicals she was exposed to.

Once at Sam Wilson's place, Natasha felt a lot better. The Red Room serum in her body did wonders for her healing.

Natasha sat on the bed, phone in her hands.

"Safe. -H"

Natasha nodded her head, a small smile on her face. At least she would not have to be worried about Clint and Hailey. "H" did not mean Hailey. "H" was the safe house that Clint and Hailey were at. The one in Colorado that was outfitted to keep them safe in a nuclear war. The house had provisions enough for ten years, food, generators, back up water sources, everything. She and Clint joked about it once, when a movie about a thirty year old who came out of a nuclear shelter to join the world was released. But it was what they had to do. She was sure that Hydra and their Project Insight would not be able to touch or even find the two most important people in her world.

"That's a nice necklace," Steve stated with a smirk, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Never seen it before."

"Clint uh… Hailey and I…"

"Does he know about Nate?" he asked the redhead who shook her head and avoided eye contact. Steve knew very little about her relationship with Nate. Just that he tried to win her back after his proposal was turned down. Nate went as far as following her to DC and using his money to figure out how to contact her. It was hard for Natasha because Nate had been great to her, everything she ever wanted, but at the same time… it was the attention she wanted from someone else. She wished it was Clint who would go all the way to DC and use his contacts to talk to her. But Clint scarcely did so after his separation from SHIELD, and when he did it was for Hailey.

"He never asked," she replied. They haven't talked about anything besides the little girl since the night he came to her place and found out about the engagement.

"Maybe after this, you should tell him."

"Maybe," Natasha responded in a whisper.

"Trust me on this, Natasha," Steve stated thinking about his visits to Peggy. "You're going to wish you did. I do, every day."

The next forty-eight hours passed by in a blur for Natasha. Taking down SHIELD, hoping to cut off one of Hydra's heads within SHIELD (or at least their ring leader).

She walked throughout the graves in Arlington where Nicholas J. Fury (Col, US Air Force) was buried, a folder in her hand to repay her debt to Rogers for saving her life multiple times in that weekend.

She had plans. The government, should they need someone to hang, would not be able to find her. She spent all her life hiding from governments, from agencies, that it had become second nature to her.

She walked up to them as Nick walked away finding it convenient.

"You should be honored, that's as close as he gets to saying thank you."

"You're not going with him?" Steve asked her surprised. Nick had told Natasha about his plans to go to Europe, and how he would need the best. She politely declined. She had other places to be. As far as anyone was concerned, she was now, once again, a free agent. Unlike the last time, she would take some time to breathe and relax.

"No."

"Not staying here," Steve noted.

"I blew all my covers, I have to go figure out a new one."

"That might take a while."

"I'm counting on it," she replied honestly. A break, she needed that. For almost thirty years, she had done nothing but work, spy, kill. Now, she was free to do what she wanted, and what she wanted was to just lay down on the grass with a good book and her family by her side. She smiled at Rogers handing him the folder that seemed to weigh more than a piece of paper.

"That thing you asked for, I called in a few favors from Kiev."

Steve took it while a grateful look on his face.

"Will you do me a favor?" Natasha asked him knowing that while she was off to her family, Steve had the ghost of his best friend and a new wingman. But he needed to move on. Peggy was, and always will be, his greatest love, but he was living in a new time.

Steve nodded his head, anything for her.

"Will you call that nurse?"

"She's not a nurse."

"And you're not a SHIELD agent."

"What was her name again?"

"Sharon, she's nice."

"Be careful Steve, might not want to pull on that thread. "

And with that she was gone, hopping into her new (old) little car that she traded her beloved Corvette for. The 'Vette wasn't all that helpful when she was trying to blend in and hide. Her radar tracker she bought for the drive powered up, and while it seemed like forever a she was driving through various states and thinking about where she as going to go with life, twenty-five hours later, she was parking outside a house in the mountains of Colorado.

Natasha walked out to the keypad on the garage and inputted her passcode to alert the residents of the house that it was her. She had it programed that way. She got back into her car, parking the car in the garage next to an inconspicuous black truck, a pink car seat inside. She slung her duffle on her uninjured shoulder, her backpack in her hand as she slammed the car door shut.

"Didn't expect you to come," Clint stated standing at the doorway and helping her with her bags.

"Oh?" Natasha stated letting him take the bags off her hands.

"Thought you would be with uh —"

"I didn't say yes," she admitted. Clint turned and looked at her surprised. "I couldn't."

He nodded his head in understanding as a whirlwind of pink and purple raced passed him and to Natasha.

"Mama!" Hailey exclaimed running to Natasha and putting her hands around the woman's waist. Natasha smiled bending down slowly all too aware of Clint's gaze on her. She looked up at him and mouthed 'later.' They had a lot to talk about, but right now, the only thing that mattered was that she was with Hailey and Clint.

"Look daddy! Mama wear-sed the neck-lass!" Hailey exclaimed as Natasha propped her up onto her hip, all too aware of her injured shoulder.

"Wow," Clint said carefully dropping Natasha's bags on the floor. He took a couple of steps closer to Natasha and Hailey, throwing his arms around the two of them, his head resting on top of Natasha's head.

He came so close to loosing her, in more ways than one. He knew that, and the fact that the first place she goes to is to him and his daughter made his heart swell. They had a lot to talk about, issues and miscommunications to sort out but at the moment, none of it really mattered. She was there, she was safe.

"I'm glad you're home," he whispered to her as the three of them stayed locked in that embrace.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Me too."


End file.
